Box Score NASHVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team's bid for a third consecutive trip to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in Nashville was settled Saturday night in Music City as JSU was eliminated from the postseason with a 50-40 loss to Tennessee State on Saturday at the Gentry Center.

The Gamecocks have now lost the last four games and dropped to 10-17 overall and 5-10 in OVC play.  The Lady Tigers of TSU kept their conference tournament hopes alive with the 10-point and moved to 11-16 on the season and 6-8 in the league.

JSU's inability to score has plagued the team in 2015-16 and it continued against TSU as it connected on a season-low 22 percent from the field.  The Gamecocks made just 13 field goals against the Lady Tigers and were 4-of-21 from three-point range.  In the last four games, JSU averaged just 45.2 points per game.  Defensively, Jax State is the best team in the OVC in scoring defense and opponent's field goal shooting percentage.  Those numbers held true on Saturday as TSU was slightly better from the field at 27 percent.  TSU, who ranked at the bottom of the league in free throw shooting, reversed those numbers as it connected on 17-of-21 from the free throw line.  JSU scored 10 of its 40 from the free throw line.

For the third time in the last four games, JSU did not hold a lead in the contest as the Lady Tigers led from the opening tip.  TSU jumped out to a 14-9 lead after the first quarter, but JSU was able to hold TSU to five points in the second quarter and trail 19-18 at halftime after making just six field goals in the first 20 minutes. 
The Lady Tigers extended the lead out to double digits near the end of the third quarter after out-scoring JSU 16-6 in the session.  TSU led by 11 points after three quarters after a pair of free throws by Brianna Lawrence. 

Back-to-back three pointers by Destiny James and Briana Benson sliced the 11-point deficit down to five points just inside a minute of the final quarter, but the TSU lead would grow back out to 11 points on Imani Davis' lay up with 2:22 left to play

Sophomore Tyler Phelion was the lone Gamecock to reached double figures in the scoring column with 11 points, including 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.  The Mobile, Alabama post player registered her fifth double-double of the season and sixth of her career with 11 rebounds.  Phelion had eight on the offensive end to assist in JSU's 48 total boards. 

Senior Courtney Strain and Rayven Pearson added seven points each, while Benson was limited to five points.  Pearson led JSU on the boards with a career-high 12 in the setback as 10 of her final tally came on the defensive end of the floor.

Davis and Jayda Johnson combined for 30 of TSU's 50 points as Davis carded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.  Johnson finished with 12 points.

The Gamecocks will wrap up the season on Saturday, February 27 against the Eagles of Morehead State.  It will be Senior Day on the JSU campus as the two seniors on the squad - Destiny James and Courtney Strain will be honored prior to the 2 p.m. contest at Pete Mathews Coliseum.