JACKSONVILLE – Briana Benson and Tyler Phelion each scored 14 points to lead the Jacksonville State women's basketball team to its first victory of the season with a 61-52 win over Kennesaw State on Thursday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

After two tough match ups against Memphis and Purdue, the Gamecocks won on their home floor in non-conference action for the seventh consecutive time, dating back to the last non-conference outing of the 2013-14 season versus South Carolina State.  The nine point win avenged an overtime loss to the Owls last season in Kennesaw, Georgia and notched the 11^th win all time against KSU and eighth in games played on the JSU campus.

It was a battle of the post as the two clubs combined for 51 points in the paint with KSU holding a 28-23 advantage.  JSU's Phelion and Jasmine McAllister went toe-to-toe for most of the night as McAllister registered a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds.  Phelion, a sophomore from Mobile, Alabama, nearly had her first career double-double with eight rebounds to go along with her 14 points.  She filled up the stat line in the box score as she had a pair of steals, an assist and a block in her 26 minutes of action.

JSU held a four-point lead early and led for most of the first 10-minute session until KSU took its only lead of 9-8 at the 3:29 mark of the period after a McAllister bucket.  She equalized the score at 13-all with just under a minute left in the period.  Phelion scored six of her 14 points in the first quarter.

Jax State raced out to a six point lead at 22-16 at the 6:53 mark of the period after a Benson lay up.  JSU held its second six-point advantage of the half after a Phelion basket with just under four minutes to play in the half.  The Owls quickly erased the deficit with a 9-1 over the final 3:59 to take a 27-25 lead at halftime.

With the game deadlocked at 31-all at the 4:16 mark of the third period, JSU took a 34-31 lead after senior Courtney Strain hit a three pointer.  The trey ignited the Gamecock offense as they would go on a 10-2 scoring run over three minute span to take an eight point, 41-33 lead before the end of the period.  Jax State outscored KSU 16-8 in the third period.

JSU would not relinquish the lead, but the Owls threatened a few times in the final period.  After trailing 41-36 through three periods, KSU trimmed the deficit down to one trip down the floor on two occasions before JSU pushed the lead out to as many as 10 points at 54-44 on a Benson jumper before the final minute of the game. 

Benson's double figure scoring contestst is her third consecutive game of the young season after 17 points at Memphis and 13 points at Purdue.  Strain turned in seven points and a season-high six rebounds.  For the second straight game, junior Kelly Naughton gave JSU a lift off the bench with eight points and four assists in 23 minutes on the floor.  On Monday, she led JSU in scoring against the Boilermakers with a career high 16 points.  All eight Gamecocks etched their names in the scoring column as Gretchen Morrison and Chloe Long pitched in five points each.  Senior guard Destiney James added six points and five rebounds along with three assists.  Freshman Rayven Pearson scored her first points on the collegiate level with a basket in the second half.

JSU returns to road activity on Saturday with a trip to the Magnolia State to take on the Lady Tigers of Jackson State.  Tip off between the two JSU squads is set for 3 p.m.