DeLand, Fla. -- Sophomore Brianti Saunders scored a team-high 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting as Stetson won its third game in a row, 75-64 over Kennesaw State Thursday night at the Edmunds Center.
Jama Sharp added 16 points and five assists as the Hatters (14-4, 3-1 A-Sun) extended their home court winning streak to nine.
Kennesaw State fell to 13-6, 2-2.
“I don't think we played very well in the second half,” Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. “I didn't think we had a lot of energy. I thought defensively in the first half we were good, but in the second half we just gave them too many points. It was a little disappointing”
It was a tale of two halves as Stetson's stifling defense played a key role in the opening 20 minutes. After the Owls led 14-13 at the 11-minute mark, the Hatters defense pitched a nine-minute shutout as the team closed the half on a 17-2 run to lead 30-16 at the break.
The defensive effort waned in the second half, as KSU closed the gap to seven with 14:07 to play. Sharp and Saunders provided a bit of a spark as Stetson pushed the lead back to as many to 17 with 6:06 to play. The Owls pushed back late, once again pulling to within seven points with 1:30 to play before Aisha Turner's fastbreak lay-up helped put the game out of reach.
Saunders scored 13 of her points in the second half including a bucket from behind the arc with 12:27 to play. She also had four assists and two steals.
“(Brianti) was huge for us,” Bria said. “She did a great job against their press, getting the ball up the floor. She hit that big 3, we really needed that, it gave us a little bit of a separation. Overall, she played a complete game. It was one of her best games of the year, clearly.”
C.J. Coddington added 12 points and Myeisha Hall chipped in 10.
KSU shot 21.4% in the first half and 53.1% in the second half for a game total of 38.3%. Stetson shot 44.6%, and connected on 23-of-31 free throw attempts.
The Hatters improved to 8-0 at home this season.
Stetson will host USC Upstate at 1 p.m. Saturday live on ESPN3.
Notes: Amber Porter and Jama Sharp were honored with ceremonial basketballs before the game for accomplishments earlier this season ... Stetson has held four opponents to under 20 first half points this year ... The Hatters are 24-1 in their last 25 home games (.960) ... Stetson has four players averaging 13.0 ppg or better ... Amber Porter had three blocks, including the 170th of her career ... Jama Sharp was 10-for-11 from the free throw line.
