CENTRE – Freshman Yamia Johnson exploded for 27 points and the Jacksonville State women's basketball team cruised past a solid Division II opponent in Montevallo on Tuesday night at the Cherokee Arena.
 
Playing its first home game of the regular season – albeit off campus – the Gamecocks (3-3) posted its highest scoring output of the year in an 84-52 decision over the visiting Falcons (3-3). JSU shot 40 percent from the floor, draining 11 three-pointers for the fifth-most in a game in the past three seasons. Johnson, a 5-foot-11 guard from Lexington, S.C., contributed more than half of the triples going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Redshirt-senior Destiney Elliott was 4-of-10 from deep to finish with 18 points.
 
Overall, four Gamecocks finished in double figures as sophomore Taylor Hawks had 13 points to go along with seaon-best seven assists, while senior Rayven Pearson went for 10 points, 10 boards, two blocks and a steal. Johnson's breakout night blistered her previous career high of six points that came in JSU's last outing against Washington State. She finished a dominant 10-of-14 shooting, becoming the first Gamecock with double-digit baskets since Tyler Phelion on Jan. 17, 2017 against Austin Peay.
 
All 10 Gamecocks in action played more than 10 minutes, and helped JSU to force a season-best 27 turnovers, surpassing the 22 caused in the opener at Florida A&M.
 
A three-pointer by UM's Aaliyah Rice gave the Falcons a 5-4 lead two minutes into the game, before Taylor Hawks' layup on the other end handed the advantage back to JSU for the night. Elliott followed with three-straight treys to make it quickly a 15-8 margin. UM got it back to a 15-13 game, before JSU reeled off nine-straight to end the first period to break the contest open.
 
For the second consecutive quarter JSU scored in the 20's while holding UM to just 13 to take a 44-26 advantage into the locker room. After UM shot 33 percent in the first half, the visitors were limited to just 20 percent in the second as JSU extended its lead to as many as 37 in the final period.
 
The Gamecocks won the battle in the post with a 33-16 advantage in points from the paint, and turned several long defensive rebounds into offensive runouts leading to a 19-0 difference in fast break points.
 
Jax State will return to the road on Sunday to face its third "Power Five" opponent of the young season with a visit to Oxford, Miss., and Ole Miss at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The game will stream on the SEC Network+ platform.