CONWAY, Ark. – For the first time in the program's NCAA Division I history, the Jacksonville State women's basketball team moved to 4-1 to start the season after a tough 63-54 road win at Central Arkansas on Saturday in the Farris Center.
The Gamecocks went in to the quick Thanksgiving break with the best start since 2006-07 with a home win against Wofford. The Sugar Bears dropped to 2-3 on the season after entering the contest on a two-game winning streak.
The win was fueled by the stellar play of senior
Candace Morton in the second half. After struggling with just two points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field in the first half, the Lexington, Kentucky native exploded for 19 second-half points. With her play in the second half, Morton became the 10
th JSU women's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points. She eclipsed the 1,000 point mark on a three-point play with 6:45 left to play. It came at an opportune time as UCA had erased a 45-38 JSU lead. Morton would go on to score 12 of the Gamecocks' final 17 points. She finished the game 9-of-10 from the free throw line and came up one rebound shy of a double-double.
It was an offensive struggle in the opening 20 minutes as both teams combined for just 19 baskets. JSU jumped out to its largest margin of the half at 10-4 with 11:28 left in the opening half. The Sugar Bears led by as many as five on two occasions and took a 25-22 lead in to halftime.
After UCA extended the lead out to 36-28 at the 15:28 mark of the half, the Gamecocks manufactured a 12-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 45-38 at the midpoint of the second half on a pair of
Tyler Phelion free throws. The advantage quickly evaporated on UCA's nesxt two trips down the floor to even the contest. Morton's jumper with 6:45 left in the game gave JSU a lead it would not relinquish. The Sugar Bears cut the lead down to four with 2:13 left on the game clock, but the Gamecocks knocked down free throws down the stretch to secure the win. JSU's final 10 points came at the charity stripe. The Red and White had its best outings from the free throw line as it hit 17-of-20 (85%). As a team in the second half, JSU was 12-of-24 (50%) and limited UCA to just 38.5 shooting for the entire contest.
For the third time in the last four games, JSU had three or more players turn in double figures in the scoring column. Aiding Morton on Saturday was fellow senior
Miranda Cantrell. The College Park, Georgia post player turned in her first double-double of the season and the ninth of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Cantrell paced JSU in the opening half with seven points and nine boards. Sophomore
Briana Benson came off the bench to add 11 points and drained a trio of three-point baskets. Benson also grabbed five rebounds in 22 minutes of floor action. The Gamecocks have out-rebounded three of the first five opponents.
UCA was led by Kendara Watts' 15 points, while Kelsey McClure pitched in 10 points. JSU limited UCA's leading scorer, Maggie Proffit, to just five points. Proffit entered the game averaging 16.6 points per game.
The Gamecocks return home for a pair of home games this week as they host Georgia Southern on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. JSU will play its final home game until after Christmas on Friday, Dec. 5 against Jackson State.
