JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team defeated Rhode Island Monday night, 63-53, behind senior Gretchen Morrison's 28 points, to win the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
 
JSU (3-1) completed its season-opening four-game homestand with its only setback coming to nationally-ranked Florida State on Nov. 12. On Monday, JSU led wire-to-wire after taking a 3-0 lead 30 seconds into the game.
 
Morrison hit five three-pointers in the first half to pace JSU with 15 points at the break. The South Lake, Texas, native drained four more in the second half to finish 9-of-18 from downtown. Along with one free throw, she finished the night with a team-high 28, just shy of her career-best mark of 31 against Tuskegee on Dec. 13, 2015.
 
Senior Ki-Ki Patterson and Junior Rayven Pearson both finished with seven points. Pearson also grabbed nine rebounds for the second-best performance behind Chloe Long's 13 boards, six of which came on the offensive end and helped JSU to 11 second-chance points. A large factor when the final score was a 10-point margin. 
 
The Gamecocks struggled with URI's length against a roster that listed seven players at 6-foot-1 of taller. The Rams got their hands on 11 steals and held JSU to just 28-percent shooting from the floor. JSU only made seven baskets inside the arc, compared to 11 made three-pointers.
 
Leah Strain's jumper with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter made it 14-4, as the Gamecocks quickly got out to the lead they who hold for most of the game. Midway through the second, URI would cut the deficit to two at 16-14, but treys from Morrison and Patterson soon extended the lead back to nine at 26-17. Jax State led 29-24 at halftime.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, JSU led 49-38 before the Rams made their final push. With 3:17 remaining a layup from URI made it a four-point game at 52-48. Morrison would bury her final triple on the next possession to push the lead back to seven and with time winding down the Rams turned to fouling where the Gamecocks picked up their final eight points at the stripe.
 
JSU will hit the road for the first time this season on Thanksgiving as it travels to South Orange, N.J., to take part in Seton Hall's Thanksgiving Tournament. The Gamecocks will open against East Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 25, and based on those results will meet either Rider or host, Seton Hall on Sunday.