COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team rallied late on the road at Tennessee Tech on Thursday night, but a potential game-tying three-pointer wouldn't fall in the final moments as JSU fell 62-59 inside the Eblen Center.
 
The Gamecocks (11-13, 5-8 Ohio Valley Conference) were led by freshman Yamia Johnson's 17 points off the bench. The next highest JSU scorer was senior Rayven Pearson with eight points as the Hazel Green, Ala., native, had a string of three-straight double-doubles snapped as she fouled out late in the fourth on a questionable charge call.
 
TTU improved to 18-6 and 10-3 in the league with its second win of the year over JSU to sweep the season series for the first time in 2013.
 
JSU trailed by eight in the second quarter at 19-11, but cut the deficit down to two in the final minute of the opening half before Tech hit a last-second shot to lead 27-23 at the half.
 
With 6:31 left in the third, Tech owned a 34-29 that was quickly erased by five-straight points from Johnson. The Gamecocks finally found the lead for the first time at 43-41, but TTU evened things up heading into the fourth.
 
Still tied at 47-47 with just over six minutes remaining, Taylor Hawks and Destiney Elliott had consecutive layups to give JSU its biggest lead of the night, 51-47, at the 5:38 mark. Tech's Jordan Brock tied the game at 52-all, and then pushed the Golden Eagle ahead for good with another triple with 1:22 remaining.
 
Despite TTU's seven-point lead with 24 seconds to go, the Gamecocks had a game-tying shot rim out in the closing seconds, but a Johnson trey popped back out late after JSU had rallied late to pull within three.
 
JSU returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum for a 5 p.m. tip-off against Tennessee State in the Gamecocks' annual pink game.