DeLand, Fla. - Freshman guard Simone Taylor (Delray Beach, Fla.) scored a team-high 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Stetson women's basketball team (4-15, 4-6 Atlantic Sun) to a key 62-59 conference win over visiting Kennesaw State (5-14, 2-8 A-Sun) Saturday at the Edmunds Center. Senior forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) scored 10 points, including two clutch free throws with 2.6 seconds left that stopped a furious Lady Owl comeback from a 16-point deficit.
Stetson appeared to have matters well under control with a 43-26 advantage at the first media timeout of the second half but a 14-3 KSU run over the next 6:30 chopped the lead down to six points. The Hatters reeled off the game's next 10 points, however, as Taylor consistently slashed her way to the hoop and drew Kennesaw State fouls. She made four free throws and freshman forward Janelle Mills (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) put in two layups during the streak.
The Hatters were ahead again by 16 (58-42) with just 6:11 remaining and a victory once again seemed assured but Kennesaw State would hold the Hatters to just four points and one field goal the rest of the way. KSU scored nine straight points and forced several turnovers; Angie Smith made it a 60-57 ballgame on a fastbreak layup with 1:50 to play. DeAndrea Bullock hit two free throws with 55 seconds left to chop the lead down to 60-59 and after Stetson came up empty on offense, the Lady Owls had the ball with 17 seconds left and the shot clock off.
Stetson's defense held, however, forcing two missed shots by forward Tamasha Bolden, the last of which was rebounded by Taylor; she handed it off to Jackson who was immediately fouled with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Jackson drained both free throws and Smith's desperation running three from the left wing fell short as time expired.
Jackson had six rebounds to go along with her second straight double-figure scoring effort while junior forward Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) had seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in nine points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in 39 minutes.
Bolden scored 16 points off the bench on 8-11 shooting to lead Kennesaw State, which also got an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double effort from Bullock and 11 rebounds from Sametria Gideon. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Stetson win in the final game of the first half of the A-Sun's 20-game double round-robin schedule gives the Hatters a two-game cushion over KSU, Lipscomb and North Florida in the race to qualify for the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Conference Championships March 3-6 in Macon, Ga.
The Hatters play their next three games on the road, starting Wednesday at league-leading Florida Gulf Coast. Tip-off from Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. is set for 5:15 p.m. with the Stetson-FGCU men's game to follow. Both games will be available on A-Sun.TV.
