CHARLESTON, Ill. – It took 50 minutes of intense action Saturday afternoon, but the Jacksonville State women's basketball team eventually came up just short to the host Panthers of Eastern Illinois in double overtime.
 
Senior guard Lacey Buchanon paced the JSU scoring with a season-best 21 points. The local Jacksonville, Ala., product was 8-of-19 from the floor, added five free throws and a pair of steals. She was joined in double-figure scoring by Destany Mclin (14) and Briana Benson (11).
 
For as tight as the contest was, with the margin never more than 10 points difference, JSU failed to ever lead in its first double-overtime game in 10 seasons. The home squad led for a total of 39:53, nearly the length of a regulation game. The score was tied another 10:07.
 
The Gamecocks (7-7, 0-2 Ohio Valley Conference), fall for a third-straight game for the just the first time this season. Meanwhile the Panthers, made it five years in a row the home team has come away victorious in this series.
 
In the opening half, EIU dominated the inside wih a 19-2 advantage scoring in the paint. Follwing a school-record 16 three-pointers at UT Martin two days before, JSU managed just five triples on Saturday. The lead was out to eight late in the second period before Kelly Naughton pulled up for two of her eight points on the afternoon. A pair of free throws from Buchanon made it a three-point game and McLin nailed a step-back in the closing seconds to send JSU to halftime down just one, 28-27.
 
Her basket just before the half gave McLin, a redshirt-senior from Athens, Ga., 1,001 points for her career as she became the 12^th member, and second this season, to join JSU's 1,000 Point Club.
 
The Gamecocks' biggest scoring threat this season in Benson fouled out early in the fourth with JSU facing a seven-point deficit. Naughton, McLin and Leah Strain directed the late comeback for Jax State. Buchanon tied the game at 61-61 with 53 seconds to play with a pair of clutch free throws. The defense held in two final possessions to send the game to its first extra period.
 
Neither team scored in the first three minutes of overtime, until EIU took a two-point advantage with 1:58 to play. The Gamecocks went down low and found Tyler Phelion to even the score with 41 seconds remaining. Phelion finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds.
 
In OT No. 2, the Gamecocks took another big blow when Naughton joined Beson on the bench following her fifth foul at the 2:43 mark and still a tied ballgame. Later trailing by three, Buchanon would drive to basket for a layup with 20 seconds to play, cutting it to a one-point game. EIU was 15-of-22 from the stripe total, but none bigger than two late ones which forced a desperation attempt by the Gamecocks in the final moments.
 
JSU will make the long trek home from Charleston, Ill., and prepair to host Murray State on Thursday, Jan. 5.