DeLand, Fla. ? Junior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) and freshman guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) enjoyed career games Monday afternoon but it was not enough to give Stetson a victory. Kennesaw State used an 11-0 run in the final minutes to erase a three-point deficit and hand the Stetson women's basketball team (3-15, 1-4 Atlantic Sun) a stinging 66-59 defeat at the Edmunds Center.
Stetson, which was down 32-30 at halftime, came back to lead by six points with 6:30 remaining as the combination of senior guard Jamie Nesbit (Peoria, Ariz.) passing to Barkley resulted in baskets on three consecutive trips down the floor. Kennesaw State would chop the lead down to one point, but when Barkley stole the ball from Lady Owl forward Britteny Henderson and dropped it in with 3:14 left to put the Hatters up 56-53, it looked as if Stetson might win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
However, Henderson and KSU (8-9, 3-2 A-Sun) had other plans. The Lady Owls scored the next 11 points, taking the lead on a Montinique Nixon jumper with 1:26 to go and icing it on Greteya Kelley's only three-pointer of the ballgame, that coming with 45 seconds on the clock. The Hatters turned the ball over three times in the final two minutes to kill any hopes of a comeback of their own.
Brown was a force to be reckoned with all game, consistently beating the Lady Owl guards off the dribble for layups. She made 10 of 15 field goal attempts to tie her career high with 22 points. Brown is the first Hatter to make 10 shots from the floor in a single game since junior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) did it last February 17 at Campbell.
Barkley turned in an outstanding effort as well, converting on seven of 14 field goal attempts to tie her career high with 15 points, her second consecutive 15-point outburst against Kennesaw State. Barkley also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, set a career high with four blocked shots and tied her career high in steals (two). With 52 blocks for her career, today she passed Nicole Knappmiller '00 for eighth place all-time at Stetson University.
Smith contributed nine points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal to the Hatter cause while sophomore forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) had eight points, five rebounds and two steals. Stetson blocked eight shots overall in the contest, tied for fifth in team history for a single game.
Kelley sparked Kennesaw State with 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three takeaways. Henderson tallied 13 points, six rebounds and two steals while Jennifer Baker also reached double figures, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Nixon gave the Lady Owls nine points and 11 rebounds.
Kennesaw State jumped out to a 9-5 advantage before the Hatters scored four straight points to take the lead on a Jackson three-pointer. The Lady Owls grabbed the advantage right back and held it the rest of the half, although Stetson closed the half on a 10-0 run to trim a 12-point deficit down to two at intermission. Jackson scored all eight of her points in the first half while Brown led all scorers at the break with 12.
Stetson is on the road for the next three contests, starting Saturday with a 1 p.m. tip-off against Campbell at Carter Gymnasium in Buies Creek, N.C. Hatter fans can log onto www.gohatters.com to hear Harry Arnold and Murray Miller, the Voices of Hatter Basketball. The webcast is also available through ASun.tv.
