CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Jacksonville State's women's basketball team displayed its stingy defense in full force on Saturday, limiting Southeast Missouri State to just 39 points as the Gamecocks won their seventh road game of the season.
JSU's 56-39 victory marked the second-fewest points allowed this season, after setting a Division I school record allowing just 31 to Florida A&M in the season-opener. The Gamecocks improved to 11-12 overall and 5-7 in Ohio Valley Conference action with the program's second all-time win inside the Show Me Center, and first since Feb. 11, 2010.
The Redhawks fall to 11-12 and an even 6-6 in OVC play. JSU will have the potential tiebreaker for postseason seeding curtesy of winning the only regular season meeting.
While defense was the show in the Show Me State on Saturday, a trio of Gamecocks still managed to reach double figures with senior
Rayven Pearson, sophomore
Taylor Hawks and freshman
Yamia Johnson all finishing with 10 points. Pearson also led the way with 15 rebounds in her third-straight double-double game and 20th of her career. The Hazel Green, Ala., native is now one shy of tying Shanika Freeman's program record of four-straight double-doubles set during the 2004-05 season.
Four of JSU's first six points came at the free throw line where Jax State would finish 13-of-20 overall. Tied at 10-10,
Jayla Walker hit JSU's first triple of the afternoon to give the Gamecocks the lead again, but SEMO would add a couple of late baskets to lead 14-13 at the end of the opening period.
The two sides exchanged the lead throughout most of the second until a three by Elliott made it 24-20. JSU would carry the four-points advantage into halftime at 26-22.
In the third, Johnson's first bucket of the day was a three-[pomyet that made the lead double digits at 38-28. The Gamecocks would tack on a few more to make it 41-28 after three quarters. The lead reached as many as 17 early in the fourth after Johnson muscled her was inside for a layup that made it 48-31 and forced a Redhawk timeout.
The margin would remained similar the rest of the way as JSU went on to hold an OVC opponent below 40 points for the first time since Jan. 14, 2015 – which coincidently came against SEMO in a 70-34 win in Jacksonville.
JSU has another road test at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 14, before coming home to Pete Mathews Coliseum for three-straight games. JSU will then complete the regular season in Illinois in early March.
