EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Jacksonville State's women's basketball team fell to fourth-seeded Eastern Illinois on Thursday afternoon, 49-46, ending its season and run in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The Gamecocks (14-16, 10-8 OVC) experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotions through the day from large deficits, to late leads, and ultimately a tough setback. The Panthers (19-11, 12-6 OVC) advance on to the semifinals where they will me regular-season co-champ UT Martin on Friday.
Following the ups-and-downs of the day, JSU and EIU found itself tied with five minutes to play in regulation at 43-43. After the Panthers took a two-point lead, JSU's Nekiyah Thompson put the Gamecocks back in front with an acrobatic jumper in the lane that drew a foul to make it a three-point-play.
EIU sprinted back down the floor to reclaim the lead on a layup with 40 seconds to play. After another late bucket, Jax State needed a three on the final possession when
Taylor Hawks final heave bounced off the rim at the horn.
Hawks finished with eight points to cap her best season as a Gamecock, but went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc for the game. Graduate
Destiney Elliott led JSU one final time in her last contest with 13 points, just ahead of
Kiana Johnson's 12 points. One game after setting her career-high with 19 points versus Tennessee Tech on Feb. 29, Johnson set a new standard in rebounds against EIU with eight
Redshirt-senior
Chloe Long was held scoreless on Thursday, but pulled down six rebounds to give her 700 exactly for her Red and White career. The Hazel Green, Ala., native is just the seventh Gamecock to ever record 700 career boards.
Just two points for either side at the first media break of the afternoon, the Panthers would lead 14-9 at the end of the opening period. EIU's advantage grew to 18-9 into the second, before a jumper from Thompson on the right wing to sparked a 12-2 run that put JSU ahead on a free throw by Hawks in the closing minutes. EIU answered just before the half with a pair of free throws of their own to lead Jax State 22-21 at the break.
A few minutes into the second half, Hawks put JSU back in front on an old-fashion three-point-play, but the fourth-seeded Panthers responded again to go back up three halfway through the quarter.
Jessie Day, who finished with five points and five boards, hit a corner three to tie things up again and the Gamecocks finished the third on an 8-0 run to lead by five entering the final stanza.
A key offensive rebound by
Brittany Webster on the first possession of the fourth opened the door for another three-pointer by Elliott to extend the lead to 39-31. JSU reached double-digits briefly, but EIU began to shave the lead down the stretch using a 12-2 stretch to even the game at 43-43 in the late stages leading up to the dramatic finish.
