JACKSONVILLE – It was a milestone day all around as the Jacksonville State women's basketball team thrashed Southern Illinois Edwardsville, 86-42, on Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
The 44-point margin of victory was the largest for the Gamecocks in an Ohio Valley Conference game, topping the 83-44, 39-point win over Southeast Missouri in JSU's first year in the league 18 years ago on Jan. 29, 2004. Along with the historic dominance, the victory will be etched into the history books as head coach Rick Pietri tied former Gamecock coach Dana Austin for the most wins in program history with his 115th at the helm of the Red and White.
 
The Gamecocks (11-6, 8-5 OVC) easily extended its home winning streak to 10-straight, a streak that ranks within the top 15 in the nation. The Cougars (6-14, 3-12 OVC) have now lost three-straight to Jax State.
 
Known for its defensive prowess, JSU's 86 points were the most against another Division I opponent in a span of 92 games since beating Murray State, 97-65, on Jan. 11, 2018. Leading the offensive charge was junior newcomer Imari Martin with a career-high 21 points on 6-of-10 from beyond the arx. Junior Kennedy Gavin also set a new personal mark with 14 points, and just missed a double-double by one rebound, finishing with nine. Freshman Keiara Griffin did lead JSU with 10 boards, to notch her first career double-double along with 12 points.
 
JSU led just 13-9 after the opening quarter, but while the offense slowly gained momentum, the defense held SIUE to single digits until five minutes into the second quarter. The Cougars started just 3-for-21 shooting from the floor as JSU quickly built a double-digit advantage.
 
The Gamecocks outscored SIUE, 25-7, in the second period to take a 38-16 lead into halftime. The 25 point period tied for the 10th-most for JSU in a quarter, only to be topped by a 26-point period in the third, tying for the fifth-best.
 
JSU would eventually lead by 46 in the final quarter, before closing the game with the 86-42 result. The Gamecocks made 14 three-pointers on the day, tying for second-most in a single game against a Division I opponent.
 
Jax State returns to action on Monday at The Pete with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against Eastern Kentucky.