CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team overcame just its third halftime deficit of the season to snap a seven-game road losing skid to Eastern Illinois, 59-50, on Thursday evening inside Lantz Arena.
 
JSU's last win inside Lantz came on exactly 11 years ago to the day in a double-overtime 103-98, shootout over the Panthers on February 1, 2007. The win matches the programs best start to Ohio Valley Conference play at 8-3, and makes head coach Rick Pietri just the third coach in program history to reach 70 wins patrolling the Gamecocks sidelines.
 
Senior Tyler Phelion and junior Rayven Pearson led all scorers with 13 points apiece, while freshman Taylor Hawks pitched in 11. Pearson grabbed 10 boards in a double-double effort, followed by Tasha Magruder with nine. Phelion matched a season best with four blocks for JSU.
 
JSU jumped out to a 16-2 lead to open the game, and led for more than 18 minute of the first half, but the Gamecocks found themselves down by three at halftime after the Panthers finished the second quarter on an 11-0 run over the final three minutes.
 
JSU quickly bounced back in the third. Pearson hit back-to-back free throws, before Hawks' thrip from the corner gave the Gamecocks the lead again at 30-28. JSU continued to hold the lead as it led for nearly 36 minutes total for the night, but EIU stayed closed heading into the fourth down just three, 38-35.
 
In the fourth, JSU turned up the heat with a 10-0 run to grab a 13-point advantage through the early part of the period, and added a stingy defense that didn't allow a fourth-quarter Panther field goal until the 3:48 mark.
 
A three-pointer by EIU's Karle Pace cut the deficit to eight with 1:32 remaining, but it was too little too late. Pace finished as the lone Panther in double figures with 12 points.
 
For a team that struggles at the line, JSU shot 63.6 percent from the stripe on Thursday, and secured its second-half rally with a 12-of-16 mark (75%) after halftime.
 
The Gamecocks head down the road to SIU Edwardsville to meet the Cougars on Saturday night. SIUE sits second in the OVC with a 9-2 league mark, one game ahead of JSU. Saturday's contest will be the only regular-season meeting between the two schools this tear.