COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team lost a tough one on the road to Tennessee Tech Saturday evening, 56-54, after the Golden Eagles hit the winning-shot with three seconds remaining.
 
The Gamecocks (8-9, 1-4 Ohio Valley Conference) led by as many as 15 in the second half before Tech (6-12, 3-2 OVC) came surging back in the closing quarters. JSU has been unable to grab an early conference win on the road falling to 0-3 in league play away from the Pete Mathews Coliseum in what is a travel-heavy front end of the slate.
 
Tyler Phelion and Tasha Magruder led the Gamecocks with 13 points apiece, respectively. For Magruder, it set a career mark as her first game in double figures. She finished with nine rebounds to come just one shy of a double-double. Rayven Pearson finished with a team-high 11 rebounds and JSU's only block of the night.
 
After surviving a 21-2 run over a 10-minute span from the third quarter into the fourth, JSU took a 52-51 lead with 34 seconds to play as Magruder made a defender miss down low for a clutch layup. On their ensuring possession, TTU came up with three points the old-fashion way driving to the basket with 27 seconds left on the clock.
 
Down two again, Kelly Naughton found Phelion under the goal for the tying basket on JSU's following chance. The Golden Eagles took the ball with under 30 seconds and held for one final attempt. Tech's leading scorer Yaktavia Hickson (14 points) inbounded the ball and ran under the goal through a screen play to receive the ball back and fire up the eventual game-winner with three seconds remaining.
 
JSU led for more than three quarters of the game after stifling the Tech offense through the first 20 minutes. Both team missed several chances early to gain separation while their opponent struggled. JSU eventually led 11-9 at the conclusion of the of the opening period. Phelion picked up a pair of early fouls sending her to the bench for the majority of the first half. Following a 25-point performance against Austin Peay, she was limited to only five minutes in first half.
 
In Phelion's absence, Pearson had a team-high in both points and rebounds at halftime with six apiece. The momentum carried into the third as JSU built a 37-22 lead with 5:32 on the clock. From there, TTU began its rally which was fueled by an energetic crowd which only grew as time ran down.
 
After shooting just 19% in the first half, TTU finished the game at 39.6 percent, besting Jax State's 35.1 mark. JSU had five more turnovers and six fewer assists in the game.
 
The Gamecocks now return home to face Belmont in a midweek Wednesday night contest in Jacksonville on Jan. 18.