Box Score KENNESAW, GA--Denisha Ferguson and Kristina Usaite combined for 38 points and 24 rebounds to lead Kennesaw State (10-3, 2-0 PBC) past an upset-minded USC Aiken (9-4, 1-1 PBC) squad 67-63 at the Spec Landrum Centre in Kennesaw, Ga. on Saturday afternoon. USCA led by 10 in the first half, but could not overcome a 34-11 discrepancy in free throw attempts for the game.
Sarah Kendrick's three-pointer at 16:38 of the first half gave the Lady Pacers their first lead 7-6. USCA would use a 12-2 run powered by five points from
Kasey Mills to push ahead 19-9 with 8:56 remaining in the opening stanza. Ferguson drained a jumper in the paint 22 seconds later to end the run. It was the first KSU field goal in nine minutes and represented just the second of the half for the Lady Owls.
Mills led USCA with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting while Kendrick added 11 points and five assists. Ferguson scored 10 of her game-high 23 points in the first half. She grabbed 11 rebounds as KSU dominated the glass 39-17. KSU came in as the top rebounding team in the Peach Belt Conference at +10.3 while USCA was second (+8.0).
The Ferguson field goal ignited a 15-0 Lady Owl run that turned a 10-point deficit into a 24-19 lead on a pair of Lauren Gaines free throws with 4:58 remaining. KSU connected on 22-of-27 first half free throws compared to 1-of-3 from USCA.
Katie Gebhardt's only bucket of the game came with 1:10 on the clock to trim the lead to 30-27, but three free throws to close the half gave Kennesaw State the 33-27 halftime advantage.
Both teams opened strong in the second half, as a Kendrick lay-up with 16:17 to play gave USCA its first lead since the 6:33 mark of the first half 40-39. In a remarkably competitive second half, neither team led by more than five points over the final 19:00.
Haylee Reichert hit a jumper in the paint at 9:36 to give the Lady Pacers its final lead 48-47. Usaite scored 35 seconds later to make it 49-48 KSU. Usaite finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Reichert added six points, four assists, five steals, in 29 minutes off the bench for head coach
Mike Brandt.
After Bena Serbecic's bucket with 6:05 to play made it a one-point deficit at 55-54, neither team would score for the next 2:03. Over than span, USCA missed three straight shots with the opportunity to take the lead.
Malgorzata Morka's only three-pointer of the game with 55.8 seconds remaining gave KSU its largest lead since the opening of the half, 63-58.
Erica Larsen countered the blow with her only triple with 40.1 ticks left. Following a Morka put-back with 22.0 remaining, Larsen's lay-up cut it back to two points with 3.7 to play. Ferguson's two free throws iced the game and set the score at 67-63.
Larsen finished with 12 points, 11 coming in the second half. Morka was the third Lady Owl player in double figures with 13 points.
As a team, USCA shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-of-54), 45.5 percent from deep (5-of-11), and 72.7 percent at the charity stripe (8-of-11). The Lady Pacers won the turnover battle 23-14 and held the league's second best three-point shooting team to just 2-of-10 for 20.0 percent. The Lady Pacers fall to 1-7 all-time in Kennesaw.
USC Aiken, gaining a 1-1 split in two conference road games to open the season, returns home to "The Courthouse" to host three straight PBC foes starting with UNC Pembroke on Wednesday, January 14 at 5:30 PM.
SCORING:
USC Aiken (63): Kasey Mills 16,
Erica Larsen 12,
Sarah Kendrick 11,
Lana Mandic 6,
Benazura Serbecic 6,
Haylee Reichert 6,
Katie Mitchell 4,
Katie Gebhardt 2
Kennesaw State (67): Denisha Ferguson 23, Kristina Usaite 15, Malgorzata Morka 13, Lauren Gaines 7, Larvisha West 4, Dominika Miezkowska 3, LaTonya Henry 2.
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