--Box Score (HTML)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—The Kennesaw State University women’s basketball team used a game-ending 12-2 run over the final 3:15 to overcome a five-point University of Evansville lead and post a 70-65 victory over the Purple Aces in the consolation game of the DoubleTree Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday.
After Evansville held the Owls to just two points over a seven-minute span during a 15-2 run which erased an eight-point Kennesaw State lead, back-to-back three-point plays by Kennesaw State quickly ignited the Owls’ game-ending run. Freshman guard Kayla Weaver’s three-pointer from the right corner with 3:15 to play began the run, and was followed by a traditional three-point play by DeAndrea Bullock with 2:28 to go which gave the Owls a 64-63 lead.
Evansville would answer back with a jumper from the left baseline by senior guard Amy Gallagher with 2:06 to play to retake a 65-64 lead. Gallagher’s jumper though would be the last points Evansville would score, and after an offensive put-back basket by Montinique Nixon would give Kennesaw State a 66-65 lead with 58 seconds to play, the Owls would go a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final minute to keep UE at bay.
“This is a really disappointing loss,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “To be up five in the final three minutes and not be able to finish is very frustrating, especially after how hard we worked to get the lead back. I felt like we played some of our best defense of the year during our run in the second half.
“The one thing that really hurt us though today was rebounding. Kennesaw State was able to get five second-chance points during their game-ending run, and were able to grab 19 offensive rebounds overall. Anytime you allow a team to grab 19 offensive rebounds, you really put a lot of pressure on your defense.”
For the game, Kennesaw State out-rebounded Evansville, 49-37, including grabbing 19 offensive rebounds. The Owls converted those rebounds into 15 second-chance points, including five points during their game-ending 12-2 run.
Bullock led Kennesaw State with 17 points, while Weaver and fellow guard Angie Smith each pitched in 14 points apiece. Smith also added eight rebounds and five assists off of the bench.
Junior forward Stephanie Bamberger paced four Purple Aces in double-figures with 13 points. Freshman point guard Kaylan Martin also added a season-high 12 points and five assists, while sophomore guard Jordan Lewis pitched in 11 points and rookie center Samantha Heck added 10 points and four rebounds.
With the victory, Kennesaw State evens its record at 3-3 overall. Evansville, meanwhile, slips to 0-5. The Purple Aces will wrap up a four-game road trip on Wednesday night, as Evansville will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to battle long-time in-state rival Butler. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
