JACKSONVILLE – In the first meeting since 2015 between in-state foes, the Jacksonville State women's basketball team defeated Samford, 63-46, on Wednesday evening behind a trio of Gamecocks in double figures.
With the win, JSU (3-2) remains unbeaten on its home floor to start 2020-21 with three-straight wins. The Bulldogs (1-6) have now lost two of the last three against Jax State, but still lead the all-time series, 18-15.
Junior
Yamia Johnson continued her hot start to the season, ince against leading the Gamecock offense with 14 points. She was joined in double figures by senior
Taylor Hawks and junior
Imari Martin who each had 11 and 12, respectively. Johnson finished one rebound shy of JSU's first double-double of the year with nine boards, just ahead of Hawks with seven, while
Kennedy Gavin and
Winnie Kuimi each grabbed five apiece.
Samford shot less than 30-percent from the field as JSU eventually broke away in the fourth quarter for the 17-point victory.
Both teams were held in check early, staying in single digits through the opening period. JSU led by as many as eight in the second, but the Golden Eagles brought it back to a five-point game at the break, 27-22.
JSU found the stroke from outside in the third with four three-pointers from Johnson, Martin and freshman
Keiara Griffin. For the night, JSU was 10-of-29 from beyond the arc, its third double-digit trey game this year. The Bulldogs were only 4-for-17 from long range.
After trailing by nine, Samford made a push late in the third to cut it to three, but the Gamecocks would sink another triple to make it 44-38 heading into the final stanza.
In the fourth, the score was still tight at 49-44 with just under six minutes to play following a Samford score, but the Gamecocks shut the door in the final five minutes ith a 14-0 run to pull away late.
The Gamecocks will wrap up non-conference play on Monday with a visit to Ole Miss for JSU's second Southeastern Conference tilt this season. JSU returns home to resume OVC play on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
