Thursday, December 29
Martin, TN
5:30 p.m.
Jax State
at
UT Martin
12/28/2016 10:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Following a brief holiday break, the Jacksonville State women's basketball team resumes its season on Thursday with a trip to Martin, Tenn., to open Ohio Valley Conference play.
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The Gamecocks (7-5) are coming off a narrow defeat by ACC member Clemson, 69-63, on Dec. 21. That loss snapped a five-game winning streak for JSU which began with a win over Florida A&M during the Thanksgiving break. UT Martin (3-10) is off to a slow start following a difficult pre-conference slate. The Skyhawks lost a pair of games to ranked opponents, a pair to Southeastern Conference foes, and most recently a 23-point setback at Big Ten's Northwestern on Dec. 22.
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Thursday's matchup pits the most recent conference Coach of the Year recipients against each other as UTM's Kevin McMillan (145-93 at UTM) has won the honor the past two seasons, while JSU's Rick Pietri took home the award in his debut season with the Gamecocks in 2014. JSU holds a slim 17-16 lead in the all-time series, but it's been a struggle as of late with the three-time defending OVC champion Skyhawks having won the past eight meetings dating back to 2011. To end the streak, JSU will have to snap one of the nation's longest home-conference winning streaks as UTM has won 26-straight OVC games at the Elam Center.
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Senior Briana Benson leads the Gamecock offense averaging double-digit scoring. The newest member of JSU's 1,000 Point club matched a team-high with 16 against Clemson. Tyler Phelion also tallied 16 on the scoresheet to go along with 10 rebounds in her second straight double-double. Along with Benson and Phelion, local product and first-year starter Lacey Buchanon has numerous options with the ball including outside threat in junior Gretchen Morrison and veteran Destany McLin.
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JSU averages 67 points per contest shooting 40 percent from the floor as opposed to 37 percent allowed for opponents. For UTM, Myah Taylor is the leading scorer with 11.2 points per game. By the numbers, JSU is averaging seven more rebounds and three fewer turnovers than the Skyhawks through the non-conference portion of the schedules.
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JSU will be looking for its second OVC-opener victory in the last three years on Thursday after a three-point win over SIU-Edwardsville two years ago. Thursday's 5:30 tip-off will be carried live on the Gamecock Sports Network with Mike Parris on the call, as well as streamed free of charge on the OVC Digital Network. Links to all coverage options will be available at JSUGamecockSports.com.Â
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The Gamecocks (7-5) are coming off a narrow defeat by ACC member Clemson, 69-63, on Dec. 21. That loss snapped a five-game winning streak for JSU which began with a win over Florida A&M during the Thanksgiving break. UT Martin (3-10) is off to a slow start following a difficult pre-conference slate. The Skyhawks lost a pair of games to ranked opponents, a pair to Southeastern Conference foes, and most recently a 23-point setback at Big Ten's Northwestern on Dec. 22.
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Thursday's matchup pits the most recent conference Coach of the Year recipients against each other as UTM's Kevin McMillan (145-93 at UTM) has won the honor the past two seasons, while JSU's Rick Pietri took home the award in his debut season with the Gamecocks in 2014. JSU holds a slim 17-16 lead in the all-time series, but it's been a struggle as of late with the three-time defending OVC champion Skyhawks having won the past eight meetings dating back to 2011. To end the streak, JSU will have to snap one of the nation's longest home-conference winning streaks as UTM has won 26-straight OVC games at the Elam Center.
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Senior Briana Benson leads the Gamecock offense averaging double-digit scoring. The newest member of JSU's 1,000 Point club matched a team-high with 16 against Clemson. Tyler Phelion also tallied 16 on the scoresheet to go along with 10 rebounds in her second straight double-double. Along with Benson and Phelion, local product and first-year starter Lacey Buchanon has numerous options with the ball including outside threat in junior Gretchen Morrison and veteran Destany McLin.
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JSU averages 67 points per contest shooting 40 percent from the floor as opposed to 37 percent allowed for opponents. For UTM, Myah Taylor is the leading scorer with 11.2 points per game. By the numbers, JSU is averaging seven more rebounds and three fewer turnovers than the Skyhawks through the non-conference portion of the schedules.
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JSU will be looking for its second OVC-opener victory in the last three years on Thursday after a three-point win over SIU-Edwardsville two years ago. Thursday's 5:30 tip-off will be carried live on the Gamecock Sports Network with Mike Parris on the call, as well as streamed free of charge on the OVC Digital Network. Links to all coverage options will be available at JSUGamecockSports.com.Â
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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