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Kennesaw State women's basketball begins a two-game road swing beginning at Jacksonville Thursday night at 7 p.m.

The Owls enter the matchup on a two-game winning streak after getting two big wins last week at home against EKU and Bellarmine to improve to 7-6 for a tie for fifth in the ASUN Conference standings. Amani Johnson was instrumental for KSU last week as the graduate senior averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks, including a season-high 27 points in the 77-73 win over Bellarmine.

With a win on Thursday, the Owls can match the most wins in ASUN play since the 2016-17 team finished 8-6.

KSU and the Dolphins have met on the court 35 times, with Jacksonville leading the all-time series 27-8. Kennesaw State is searching for its first win against JU since a 75-55 win back on Jan. 8, 2019. In last season's contest, the Owls fought back after a slow first quarter but fell 62-53 on the road. Bre'Lyn Snipes finished with 14 points and four steals and Johnson added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Amazing Amani Johnson
Johnson scored a season-best 27 points in the 77-73 win over Bellarmine on 8-of-13 shooting (61.5 percent) and took the game over in the second half scoring 20, with 11 of those coming in the fourth quarter and registered what would be the game-winning bucket late in the fourth. The guard has rewritten the record books during her time at Kennesaw State and is the KSU DI all-time leader in scoring (1,596), assists (605), field goals made (586), field goals attempted (1,571), minutes played (4,943) and steals (243). Johnson leads the ASUN in minutes played (37.7) and is in the top four of the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.00), assists (120) and assists per game (5.0)

Blue's Squad Surpasses Last Season's Win Totals
KSU surpassed last year's overall wins and conference totals with five games remaining on the conference slate, with three of those coming at home for the final three games of the regular season. After back-to-back wins over EKU and Bellarmine, the Owls are tied for fifth with EKU in the top half of the ASUN Conference standings. Kennesaw State has been particularly strong at home this season, posting a 7-3 mark and needs just one more win to secure the most home wins since the 2015-16 season.

Hardly a Sweat
Prencis Harden has been on a roll over the past five games. The Swainsboro, Ga. native has averaged 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game since Central Arkansas. Harden has played some of the best basketball of her career, setting career-highs in points (16 at Queens), rebounds (10 at Liberty and vs. EKU) and her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against EKU.

40 is the Magic Number
Shooting over 40 percent from the field and holding opponents under 40 percent shooting has been a key number this season for the Owls. Kennesaw State is 10-2 this season when shooting at a 40-percent clip and is 9-4 when holding its opponent below the number.

A Model of Consistency
Jah'Che Whitfield has been one of the ASUN's most prolific scorers and has averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 2.3 assists and 0.5 blocks in her last four games. In addition to scoring a career-best 27 points at Queens, Whitfield went 10-for-11 from the charity stripe, the most free throws made by a KSU player since Alexis Poole shot 11-of-11 vs. Furman on Dec. 2, 2021. The guard followed up with a 19-point performance at Liberty where she added seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist. Whitfield posted another strong game against EKU, scoring 17 points (11 in the fourth quarter), six rebounds, four assists and three steals. She has scored in double-figures in 16 of her past 18 games. Whitfield leads the Owls in scoring (14.2), rebounding (5.8), defensive rebounds (112), made field goals (123), field goals attempted (289), free throws made (76), steals (39) and free throws attempted (109). The graduate senior ranks sixth in the ASUN in points per game (14.2) and 14th in rebounds (5.6).

Block Party
Standing 5'8, Carly Hooks has been a catalyst on defense all season disrupting opposing offenses in a variety of ways. The guard leads the team with 15 blocks on the season and is third on the squad with 29 steals. In addition to her stellar defense, the Atlanta native has scored 15 or more points in four of her last eight games, including a career-high 21 points in a 71-52 win at Lipscomb.

Attacking the Paint
Kennesaw State's downhill offensive attack has created plenty of opportunities at the charity stripe as the Owls lead the ASUN and are ranked 44th overall in the NCAA in free throw attempts, averaging 20.21.

Crashing the Glass
KSU's offensive rebounding has been a staple all season. The Owls lead the ASUN and are 60th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, with 13.6. Kennesaw State has at least 11 offensive rebounds in 18 of 24 games this season.

Scouting Jacksonville
The Dolphins are led by the quartet of Shynia Jackson (13.0 points and 6.2 rebounds), Seraphine Bastin 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds), Deshari Graham (12.4 points and a team-best 43 steals) and KayKay Hayes (11.6 points and 4.2 rebounds). Jacksonville is coming off a 55-52 win at Austin Peay Saturday where Jackson finished with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds to clinch the win. JU is a different team at home this season, posting an 8-3 record at Swisher Gymnasium but has lost its last two contests to FGCU and Stetson at home.