JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team reached 70 points for just the second time this season against a Division I opponent as it ran away from Tennessee State in the second half of a 70-48 victory at Pete Mathews Coliseum Thursday night.
 
The win moved the Gamecocks (9-11) to 5-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play, while the Lady Tigers remain winless in league competition. Head coach Rick Pietri also earned his 99th win at the helm of JSU's program, and will go for no. 100 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Redshirt-junior McKenna Lawrence led the way with a new career-high 17 points to kick-start JSU's explosive second half. She was joined in double figures by both Destiney Elliott (12) and Taylor Hawks (10). Elliott also pulled down a team-high nine boards, while Kiana Johnson grabbed seven, followed bu Chloe Long with six.
 
After the Gamecocks put the first two baskets on the board, TSU went on a surprising 15-2 run over the next eight minutes. A triple by Yamia Johnson, who finished with eight points, pulled JSU within six at the end of the first. TSU led for nearly 15 minutes of the opening half, but Kiana Johnson's second-chance layin with under a minute to play evened things at 26-26, which would stand as the halftime score.
 
Jax State doubled-up TSU in the second half, outscoring the Lady Tigers 44-22. It started with back-to-back treys by Lawrence that quickly handed JSU a six-point cushion, but JSU would extend the stretch to a 14-0 start in the third. Another 8-0 start in the final quarter was enough for JSU to seal the deal against the visitors from Nashville.
 
JSU moved to 7-3 at home this season and will now host Belmont on Saturday afternoon at The Pete.