JACKSONVILLE – Junior Briana Benson collected a season-high 21 points and senior Destiny James recorded 11 points to propel Jacksonville State to a 69-55 win over Tennessee State in Ohio Valley Conference women's basketball action.

The 14-point win improved Jax State's overall mark to 9-13 and was the club's second consecutive conference win and fourth in the OVC after taking down Eastern Kentucky last Wednesday in Richmond, Kentucky.  The Lady Tigers fell to 9-13 on the season and 4-5 in league play and have dropped the last four road contests.  JSU has now won three of the last four meetings with TSU.  The two teams will meet again in Nashville on February 20.

JSU's ability to knock down the three-point shot ignited the offense as it drilled 7-of-18 from behind the arc, especially in the second quarter with three key treys.    After a 12-all first quarter, the Gamecocks turned in a 19-point second quarter effort to build a lead in which they would not relinquish the rest of the way.  JSU opened the second quarter on a 13-2 scoring run to take its first double figure lead at 25-14 on a Benson bucket with 4:13 left in the opening half.  Gretchen Morrison handed JSU its second 11-point lead of the period with a three pointer at the 2:47 mark of the quarter.  TSU closed the half on a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 31-26. 

Benson, from Jonesboro, Georgia reached double figures by intermission with 11 of her game-high 21 points in the first half.  Benson, JSU's leading scorer also grabbed a season-best eight rebounds.  She drilled a pair of treys and turned in a 5-of-13 day from the field and was 9-of-10 from the free throw line.  Benson was 6-of-6 from the line in the fourth quarter as she turned in eight points in the final quarter. The Gamecocks finished the affair 18-of-25 from the charity stripe. 

The Lady Tigers kept making short runs at JSU throughout the second half, but could not get the deficit under two possessions after the opening moments of the half.  The Gamecock lead was extended to double digits three times in the quarter, but held a 49-44 lead going to the final 10-minute session.  JSU controlled the final quarter with 20 points and held four double digit leads before eventually taking the 14-point win.

James, the Gamecocks' floor manager, turned in a complete game with her 11 points and a pair of assists in 30 minutes of action.  It's the second time this season that the Bartlett, Tennessee native has turned in double figures as she carded a career-high 12 points earlier this season against Alcorn State.    Morrison was the third Gamecock to reach double figures in the scoring column with 10 points.  Sophomore Tyler Phelion nearly had another double-double outing with nine points and nine rebounds.  Strain finished with eight points and matched her career high in rebounds with eight Freshman Chloe Long pitched in seven points and five rebounds.  For the fifth time in the first nine OVC games, JSU out-rebounded the opponent, 47-32.

TSU was led by Jayda Johnson's 17 points and seven rebounds.  Brianna Lawrence added 14 points in the loss.

After 10 games in the month of January, the Gamecocks will be idle until next Saturday as the two-game homestand continues against the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech.  Tip off is set for 2 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum.