Lady Ospreys slip in close one

Saturday, February 7

Kennesaw, Ga.

4:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

Kennesaw State University

Freshman Brittany Kirkland had 20 points against Kennesaw State

2/7/2009 7:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball

UNF fell at Kennesaw State 50-46 on Saturday

By: Adam Jonson, UNF Athletics

Box Score

KENNESAW, Ga. – Freshman Brittany Kirkland's 20 points and the University of North Florida women's basketball team's limiting defense weren't enough on Saturday when Kennesaw State emerged with a 50-46 Atlantic Sun Conference win in a tough-fought battle between long-time rivals.

With the lead changing hands six times in the second half, UNF (5-18, 4-10 A-Sun) held a 45-43 lead after Kirkland connected on a jumper with 2:47 remaining in the contest. KSU (10-11, 7-6) evened the contest when Britteny Henderson scored two of her 20 points less than 30 seconds later.

Freshman Kim Baker knocked down one free throw and the Owls' Jennifer Baker did the same to retie the score at 46-46 with 1:32 left. KSU regained possession on a five-second in-bound violation by the Lady Ospreys and after a missed jumper, got another chance on a UNF turnover.

Henderson nailed a pair of free throws with 40 seconds left to give the Owls a two-point edge. The Lady Ospreys committed one of their 28 turnovers on the ensuing possession, but were given another chance when Lenissha Johnson missed a set of free ones.

Senior Jennifer Guldager fired a shot from 12 feet with eight seconds on the clock but could not connect. Henderson grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. She sank both free throws to lift KSU to its final four-point advantage.

The Owls controlled most of the first half of play, building as much as a nine point lead during the opening 20 minutes. UNF fell into an 8-1 hole early before facing an 18-9 deficit at the 12:11 mark of the first frame.

The Lady Ospreys did battle back before the break, scoring the game's next five points to pull within four points. The Owls responded by rebuilding their nine-point edge, pushing the score to 25-16. UNF scored the final eight points of the half, capped by Kirkland's buzzer-beater from nearly 30 feet, to trail 25-24 at the break.

Junior Arlande Cherizol topped all rebounders with 11, helping the Lady Ospreys equal the number of total rebounds grabbed by the home team. Guldager had seven while freshman Kayla Mobley added five.

For UNF, sophomore Brittany Jones went for a season-high 10 points in 27 minutes of play. She also had four rebounds and hit all six of her free throw attempts. Kirkland finished 6-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.

The Lady Ospreys take the court again next Saturday, Feb. 14 when they host Campbell at 2 p.m.