JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team suffered a tough setback at home to Tennessee Tech, 60-58, on only its second home conference loss of the year.
 
The Gamecocks (14-10, 8-5 Ohio Valley) out rebounded, out blocked, had a higher free throw percentage, and had more second-chance and bench points than TTU (6-18, 3-10 OVC), but came out on the wrong end of a tight battle. Tech led for more than 30 minutes in the game, but a three-point attempt by the Gamecocks with five seconds left had the potential to write a different ending.
 
Freshman Taylor Hawks reached double-digits for the fourth-straight ballgame, finishing with 13 points in addition to six rebounds and three assists. Two other Gamecocks came off the bench to score double figures led by sophomore Morgan Towells with 14. Chloe Long added 11 points while grabbing a team-high 10 boards in her first career double-double game.
 
TTU led 15-13 after the first quarter, after JSU scored the final five points of the period to cut away at a quick seven-point deficit. Each squad accounted for a dozen on the scoreboard in the second as Tech took a 27-25 lead into the halftime locker room.
 
Tasha Magruder's bucket early in the third tied things up before a pair of free throws from Hawks gave JSU its first lead since the early stages of the opening quarter. An 8-0 run midway through the quarter for Tech would force JSU to take a timeout. The lead would grow to as many as 11 after TTU's first basket of the fourth.
 
Following a JSU timeout with 9:37 remaining, The Gamecocks began to chip away at the deficit. Towells hit consecutive triples to pull JSU within six, 51-45, with 6:29 to go. Down just five with under three to play, Jax State executed a locked down defense, but a tipped pass took an unlucky roll right to TTU on the far wing for a momentum-killing three-pointer to make  it 56-48.
 
Back within six with just over 30 seconds to play Hawks hits a three to cut it to a one-possession game. Long added a layup on the next series to make it a two-point contest with 12 seconds left. Tech hit just one of two free throws to give the Gamecocks one last chance. Towells took the ball around a right-side screen and put up what looked to be a game-tying shot until the ball rimmed out with three seconds on the clock.
 
Tech hit free throws at the end to make it a 60-55 lead, before Hawks threw up a desperation heave from halfcourt at the buzzer that banked in making it to a two-point final margin.
 
The Gamecocks stay at home and face Tennessee State on Saturday in a 4:30 tip-off at The Pete.