JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team kept in perfect home record intact to begin the season with an 87-65 win over Fort Valley State at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Gamecocks (3-3) had four players reach double figures, led by graduate-senior Destiney Elliott's 19. Junior Kiana Johnson added 17 for a new career-high, topping 16 against Florida A&M earlier this season. Taylor Hawks and Yamia Johnson also contributed 13 each for 62 of Jax State's 87 points. Elliott also led JSU with eight rebounds, while Chloe Long and McKenna Lawrence both pulled in seven boards. Freshman Winnie Kuimi made her collegiate debut against the Wildcats and finished with six points and six rebounds to pad to JSU's post play.
 
FVSU was even with JSU at 9-9 during the first media timeout, but the Gamecocks used a 7-0 run following the timeout to open the game up. After the lead was out to as many as 14 at 25-11, the Wildcats slowly trimmed its deficit in half to down just seven at 27-20 early in the second quarter. A jumper by K. Johnson started a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to double up FVSU at 40-20 nearing halftime. Yamia Johnson added a jumper just before the break to extend JSU to largest lead at 19.
 
FVSU's leading-scorer Torri Myers, who finished with 16, had the first bucket of the second half, but the Gamecocks poured in 29 points in the third to head into the final 10 minutes with a 72-49 advantage. JSU made 20-of-26 free throws on the day, several in the final period to preserve the large margin.
 
JSU now prepares to hit the road for Thanksgiving weekend with the FIU Thanksgiving Classic in Miami, Fla., where the Gamecocks will take on a pair of Horizon League foes in Oakland and Northern Kentucky.