MONTGOMERY – Junior Taylor Hawks gave everything she had in a career-high performance, but the Jacksonville State women's basketball team concluded Wednesday night with a tough 68-63 road setback to Alabama State 
 
Hawks, a junior guard from Gainesville, Ga., scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, which included a career-high six three-point baskets and one free throw. She surpassed her previous career high -- 20 points against Tennessee State on Feb. 16, last season -- with her sixth made 3-point shot when the Gamecocks were attempting a come-from-behind effort late in the fourth quarter. 
 
"Taylor Hawks made plays for us on the offensive end tonight," said JSI head coach Rick Pietri. "Unfortunately, from the perimeter, we didn't have anyone else."
 
The Gamecocks took a quick 4-0 lead off back-to-back baskets by Kiana Johnson to start the game and even extended the advantage to 6-2 after a Brittany Webster layup less than three minutes in. However, the Hornets reeled off an 8-0 scoring run to take a 10-6 lead at the 6:16 mark of the first quarter. It was a lead the Hornets would not relinquish despite the Gamecocks' best efforts.  
 
After JSU cut its deficit to 12-10 on a Hawks' 3-point shot with 5:05 remaining in the opening quarter, Alabama State responded with another scoring run to close in on a double figure margin. Chloe Long brought Jax State back as she made it 36-35, to begin the second half. After the Hornets expanded their lead, Hawks cut it back to two at 39-37 midway through the third quarter.
 
The ASU lead ballooned back to 10 at 52-42 during the early stages of the final period and even made it an 11-point advantage with under 5:00 to play. A 10-0 stretch for JSU made it a one-point game again with 2:57 remaining. After the Hornets answered with a 3-point basket to push their lead back to four, Hawks sank another triple to make it 61-60 with 53 seconds on the clock. 
 
"Our team does deserve credit for this: got close, then pushed back, got close then pushed it back to 11 with five minutes to go and we could've rolled over. To our kids' credit, they stayed with it and kept fighting and had a chance to take the lead."
 
After the two exchanges baskets with under a minute to play, two more ASU free throws pushed the lead to 66-63, where a turnover disrupted JSU's final attempt to tie the game.
 
The Gamecocks will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 24 when Fort Valley State visits Pete Mathews Coliseum for a 2 p.m. tip time.