Kennesaw State University Athletics

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State women’s basketball team will be searching for its first win of the season on Friday evening when they battle the Jacksonville State Lady Gamecocks at the KSU Convocation Center.

Head Coach Colby Tilley has his youthful squad playing at home for the first four games of the season, and he’s optimistic that the friendly surroundings should help his eager team get into the win column for the first time.

“We’re happy that we were able to schedule our early games at home since we do have a young team this season,” said Tilley, who is 2-2 all-time against Jacksonville State. “When you’re at home, you can really focus on basketball. You don’t have to worry about traveling, hotels, getting to practice facilities on time, and other things that come with introducing young players to college basketball. It means a lot to be at home right now.”

The Lady Owls (0-1) are coming off an Opening Night loss to Georgia State, but with the nerves of the season opener behind them, a more settled Kennesaw State squad hopes to appear against the Lady Gamecocks, who have traditionally fared well against the Black and Gold.

In 11 prior meetings between the teams, Jacksonville State holds an 8-4 advantage, but the Lady Owls did win the last meeting between the teams, a 69-51 win in February of last season.

With eight freshmen in the Black and Gold lineup, the 2009-10 season will have a period of transition, however, with five newcomers potentially seeing significant action, the learning curve needs to be shorter than usual.

“I don’t like to throw freshmen into the fire early, I like for them to learn over time and not get discouraged,” added Tilley. “However, we don’t have that luxury this year, since we really need our newcomers to step in and contribute relatively quickly. It’s a process, but so far they’ve handled the challenge well.”

Sophomore guard Angie Smith distinguished herself as one of the offensive forces on the Owls against Georgia State, leading the team in scoring with 17 points in 37 minutes of action. Having started just two games during her freshman campaign, Coach Tilley is excited to see what the five-foot-seven-inch” Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native can bring to the table as a regular in the starting lineup.

“Angie is a sophomore, but she’s a freshman when it comes to experience in leading our team,” Tilley commented. “She’s very athletic, and she showed great poise the other night. Hopefully she can continue to grow as a player and a leader as this season progresses.”

Jacksonville State (0-2) enters the game looking for its first win as well. The Gamecocks dropped their opener at Samford, 59-46, and is most recently coming off a 64-52 defeat at the hands of in-state rival Troy in their season’s home opener.

Averaging just 49 points per game in their first two contests, JSU will look to hit their offensive stride on Friday night. Only one player, junior guard Zenobia Pitts, is averaging double-figures in scoring, at 10.5 points per game.

Tip-off between the Lady Owls and the Lady Gamecocks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.