STATESBORO, Ga. – The Jacksonville State University women's basketball team defeated Indiana State 67-57 on day one of the GATA Tukey Throwdown. Despite trailing for 31 minutes, a 40-point second half carried the Gamecocks over the Sycamores. In addition, Jax State held Indiana State to just 26 points in the final 20 minutes. Junior Nekiyah Thompson led the Gamecocks with 16 points while freshman Bre'Anna Rhodes added a career-high 13 off the bench/ 

With the win, JSU improves to 3-2 overall on the season. Indiana State falls to 1-5.

Indiana state opened the first quarter on an 8-1 run to lead the Gamecocks. A layup from Madison McCoy cut the lead to four, 11-7 with 5:04 remaining. Kieara Griffin made it a one-point game, 14-15 at the free-throw line before Marie Hunter drilled a jumper at the buzzer, giving the Sycamores a 17-14 lead at the end of the first.
 
JSU fell behind by seven, 25-18, midway through the second period before a 5-0 run that include a Rhodes layup and Thompson three-pointer, cut the lead to two, 25-23. With 2:19 to go before half, a McCoy layup tied the score, 27-27. The Sycamores closed the half on a 4-0 run to lead, 31-27 at the break.
 
Rhodes opened the third quarter with back-to-back layups, cutting Indiana State's lead to two, 33-31. A pair of free-throws from Thompson at the 2:04 mark in the period sparked a 7-0 run. An and-one play from Kieara Griffin gave JSU its first lead of the contest, 46-44, capping the quarter-ending run.
 
The Sycamores opened the fourth quarter on a 10-3 run to lead 54-49 with 5:58 to go in the game. A 5-0 run, capped with a Imari Martin layup, tied the score 54-54 just 30 seconds later. Thompson drilled a three-pointer to put the Gamecocks back on top, 57-56, at the 4:59 mark. JSU held the Sycamores to just one point the rest of the way, winning 67-57.
 
Jax State shot 43.9 percent from the field while the Sycamores shot 40.0 percent. The Gamecocks held the advantage on the boards, 38-32, led by Griffin and Gavin with seven.  
 
The Gamecocks continue play in the GATA Turkey Throwdown on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 12 p.m. CT against South Carolina State. Live stats can be found at JSUgamecocksports.com