JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team takes its win streak on the road this weekend with visits to Murray State and Austin Peay.
 
The Gamecocks (7-2, 4-1 Ohio Valley Conference) are riding their longest winning streak since 2016 with five-straight victories under their belt since Dec. 16. Their 29-point victory over Tennessee State on Jan. 14 capped the program's best Division I start, and with Tuesday night's results around the league, JSU enters Thursday's game in a tie among the top of the OVC.
 
Southeast Missouri officially owns the top spot with a 5-1 conference mark, while JSU and UT Martin sit right behind at 4-1 in a season where almost everyone is at a different stage of their year due to Covid-19 postponements.
 
JSU will try to continue its winning ways at Murray State (6-6, 3-4 OVC) on Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. inside the CFSB Center. Historically being a once-a-year matchup in the series, JSU hasn't made the trek to Murray, Kentucky since the 2017-18 campaign when this year's seniors were freshmen. The Gamecocks won that contest, 59-55, in a come-from-behind effort in the fourth quarter, however, MSU still leads the overall series 18-8.
 
Junior Yamia Johnson ranks third in the OVC in scoring with a 16.3 points per game average after her season-high 29-point display against TSU. The Gamecocks average 67 points per game as a team with seven different Gamecocks having reached double digits in a game so far this season. On the defensive end, JSU continues to be a challenge for teams like in years past, currently ranking second in scoring defense and opponent's field goal percentage in the conference.
 
Thursday's game streams on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network with Mike Parris on the play-by-play call. A win for Jax State would be the longest winning stretch since six games early in the 2014-15 year, which began with a road win at Alabama.
 
On Saturday, JSU heads down the road to Clarksville, Tennessee to meet the Governors of Austin Peay for a 1 p.m. tipoff. APSU is right behind the league leaders with a 5-2 OVC record.