Kennesaw State women’s basketball comeback falls short at Seton Hall

Release from Kennesaw State Athletics:

The Kennesaw State women’s basketball team erased a 19-point second half deficit against Big East foe Seton Hall, but the comeback fell just short as the Owls suffered a 77-74 setback on Wednesday (Nov. 26) at Walsh Gymnasium.

“I thought in the second half we did a good job of fighting back,” said head coach Nitra Perry. “I know we got down by 19 at one point and it really came down to a couple of plays, but I was very proud of Aareon Smith as she was 6-for-9 from the three-point line and did the small things for us tonight. I thought the team really responded well. We went to a zone that we have not worked on a lot and they did a really good job with it. Jasmine McAllister paced us from the beginning of the game and I thought she set the tone. As a team that is coming together and getting that chemistry, understanding who needs the ball and when and things like that, I think we can get better at. I thought we could have taken care of the ball a little bit better, but overall I thought Karly Frye did a good job of handling the pressure. We had some shots at the end and that is all you can ask for and it just did not fall our way this game. This also being a Big East opponent, I was just proud of the character and the fight that the team showed.”

The Owls (3-2) had four players in double figures, led by sophomore Aareon Smith, who equaled a career high with 18 points as she drained 6-0f-9 three-pointers to continue her hot streak from long distance. Junior Jasmine McAlister also registered her third double-double of the season and second consecutive with 18 points and 15 rebounds, going 7-of-11 from the field.

The Pirates (3-1) opened the Thanksgiving Eve contest with a quick 6-3 advantage, before four-straight points from McAllister gave KSU its first lead of the game at 7-6.

After both teams traded the lead over the next couple of minutes, SHU used five-straight points to build a six-point lead at 19-13 before senior Kristina Wells notched her first three of the season to break the Pirate’s mini-run.

Leading at 26-22 with just over seven minutes to go in the half, the Pirates raced out to a 34-22 lead with an 8-0 run. Smith then drained her first three of the game to stop of the SHU momentum, but the Pirates answered with one of their own for the 37-25 advantage.

Both teams traded free throws, before back-to-back Smith three-pointer pulled the Owls within 39-33. A layup at the buzzer then sent the Pirates into the break leading 41-33.

SHU came out red hot out of intermission and opened the second half with a 15-6 run to take a 19-point lead at 58-39, its largest of the contest, with 13:20 left on the clock.

Following scores from McAllister and junior Karly Frye, the Pirates pushed its lead back to 63-45.

Trailing by 18 points midway through the half, the Owls put together a 27-7 run over the next eight minutes, including scoring 12-straight points to open the run, to take their first lead of the second half at 72-70 with two minutes left in the game.

After both teams traded baskets to knot the game at 74-74 with 50 seconds to go, the Pirates converted one of two free throws to take a 75-74 lead.

Following a missed jumper from sophomore Deandrea Sawyer, redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely grabbed a huge offensive rebound with eight seconds left in the game and one second on the shot clock. A Smith jumper from the corner hit off the mark and the Pirates pulled the board, before draining a pair of free throws to ice the 77-74 victory.

Sawyers added 16 points and six rebounds in the setback, while Wells chipped in 11 points and five boards for the Owls.

Both teams pulled down 44 rebounds in the game, with the Owls grabbing 20 offensive boards that they turned into 27 second chance points.

KSU dished out a season-high 14 assists against the Pirates, with Frye and Wells each handing out four helpers in the game.

The Owls went 26-of-72 for a 36.1 percentage from the field, including drilling a season-high nine three-pointers. KSU also continued its marksmanship from the free throw line, converting 13-of-16 freebies for an 81.3 mark from the charity stripe.

Ka-Deidre Simmons led the Pirates with 26 points, while Bra’Shey Ali added a double-double 16 points and 15 rebounds.