JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team suffered its first loss in four games on Wednesday evening, when the 23rd-ranked Belmont Bruins invaded Pete Mathews Coliseum in a 66-35 decisive victory.
 
JSU (17-11, 11-6 Ohio Valley) became the 42nd-straight OVC opponent to succumb to the Bruins (27-3, 17-0) who have already locked up their third-straight conference title.
 
Nine different Gamecocks found their way into the scoring column as head coach Rick Pietri looked for answers in order to hang with the league's top scoring offense. Senior Tasha Magruder finished with six points and eight boards, while Tyler Phelion and Taylor Hawks each added five points. Junior Rayven Pearson snagged 11 rebounds to lead either side on the glass.
 
The contest exchanged leads six time through the opening period. A layup by BU's Maddie Wright in the closing seconds of the first quarter gave Belmont a 9-8 advantage, for a lead that wouldn't be relinquished.
 
While the Gamecocks continued to be limited to single digits through the second and third quarters, the Bruins finally busted free for consecutive 20-point periods to build a 49-22 margin heading into the fourth.
 
Reserves Brianna Perry, McKenna Lawrence and Jayla Walker saw time down the stretch as JSU scored 13 in the final frame. Lawrence's three in the final minute lifted JSU from what could've been its lowest scoring output since January of 2016, when this same Belmont squad held Jax State to just 32.
 
JSU remains in fourth place in the OVC standings with just one game remaining in the regular season before the conference tournament next week in Evansville, Ind. The Gamecocks travel to Tennessee Tech on Saturday, looking to secure their 12th win in league play.