Gamecocks Rally in Pietri's 300th Win - Jacksonville State University Athletics

Wednesday, December 12

Normal, AL

6 p.m.

Jax State

5-3

Alabama A&M

2-6

Team	1	2	3	4	F
JSU	10	9	19	17	55
Alabama A&M	12	10	16	10	48

12/12/2018 9:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NORMAL – After trailing for more than 26 minutes of game action, the Jacksonville State women's basketball team rallied in the second half to pull off a 55-48 road win over Alabama A&M on Wednesday night, handing head coach Rick Pietri his 300th career win.

Pietri's milestone joins him with Joe Ciampi (Auburn 1979-04), Rick Moody (Alabama, 1989-05), and Alabama State's Freda Freeman-Jackson (1997-present) as the only women's basketball coaches to win 300 NCAA games in the state of Alabama. He became South Alabama's winningest coach with 220 wins, before moving to JSU six years ago where he's climbed to second of the school's career wins list with 80.

Wednesday's comeback was the second-straight game that JSU (5-3) rallied from a halftime deficit to win.

No one Gamecock dominated as nine of the 10 Gamecocks in action all scored, led by senior Rayven Pearson who just notched double-digits with 10 points. The Hazel Green, Ala., product also pulled down eight rebounds while fellow Hazel Green native Chloe Long led with 10 boards and finished one point shy of a double-double. High scorers Yamia Johnson and Destiney Elliott finished with seven points apiece, followed by Brianna Perry and JuToreyia Willis with six each.

Both sides struggled to get anything going offensively in the first half with AAMU taking a 22-19 advantage into the locker room. The Gamecocks were just 8-of-35 (22.9%) shooting in the opening 20 minutes, but a late old-fashion three-point play by Brittany Webster made it just a three-point deficit at the break.

Neither team hit a long range shot, going 0-for-20 combined from three-point range until AAMU hit a triple early in the third to go up 29-22. JSU 's cold spell continued into the fourth quarter before Willis ended an 0-for-18 drought.

After 19 points in the first half, JSU put up 19 in the third period alone and finished on a 5-0 run in the final minute capped by a pair of free throws from Perry to even the score at 38-all. The two exchanged baskets to start the fourth until Willis hit Jax State's only three of the night to send the Gamecocks ahead, 43-40 with under eight minutes to play.

JSU extended the lead to 47-42 late, but A&M responded to cut it to 49-48 in the final minute. Elliott came up with a big steal with 42 42 seconds to play and after being fouled, hit one free throw to make it a two-point lead. After another defensive stop, Hawks drained a pair of free throws with 21 seconds to go for a 52-48 advantage to all but seal the contest.

Jax State now sets its sights on its return home where the Gamecocks will reopen Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Georgia State after the facility has been under repair since the March 19 tornadoes that hit JSU's campus.