JACKSONVILLE – Fifth-year senior Imari Martin's three-point shooting ability helped Jacksonville State's women's basketball team score a narrow victory in Tuesday's season-opening exhibition versus Montevallo. Although the Falcons gave the Gamecocks all they could handle, a strong finish from some key veterans, including the aforementioned Martin, carried them to a five-point win in the Education Day Game.
 
"Today was an opportunity for us to face an opponent in a game environment, and that's really a big deal," Jacksonville State head coach Rick Pietri said after the win. "I think Montevallo came in with a lot of hunger and passion, and there were segments of the game where their passion outdid ours. That's why we were in a battle. Our team must understand that we need to be able to function at a high level with consistency, because we had some nice stretches today, but we weren't good consistently throughout. That's what allowed us to be in danger of losing this game."
 
Martin- an All-ASUN Preseason Selection from Hazel Green, Ala.- finished with a game-high 17 points and knocked down five of her 11 three-point attempts in the win. Though the statistics did not officially count since it was an exhibition, her five made-threes were one off from tying a career-best. 
 
The two sides traded blows for much of the opening period. After a pair of made free throws gave Montevallo a 7-5 advantage two minutes in, Jacksonville State proceeded to find some breathing room as they outscored the Falcons 11-2 the rest of the way. Their 16-9 lead would be short-lived, however, as a proud Division II program refused to lie down.
 
Jax State continued to produce on offense in the second period. Despite falling short of matching their 50% shooting percentage in the first, the Gamecocks still managed to knock down eight shots and created as large as an eight-point cushion. Montevallo kept chipping away and cut the deficit to two points before a late Kyra Williams layup handed JSU a 37-33 halftime advantage. 
 
Pietri's squad came out of the gates swinging to start the second half. Jacksonville State shook off an early Falcon three-pointer and pressed down on the accelerator, posting the largest lead of the night, 46-36, midway through the period. Yet again, Gary Van Atta's Falcons found a way to climb back into it and headed to the fourth trailing by just four. 
 
Montevallo's momentum carried over into the final stanza. A pair of quick baskets tied the game a minute into the fourth, and a converted free throw early in the period gave them their first lead since they held a 7-5 advantage. A plethora of lead changes ensued throughout the middle stages of the quarter until Jacksonville State was able to lasso the momentum. A three-ball by Keiara Griffin handed the Gamecocks a lead they would not relinquish. 
 
With 34 seconds left to play, Griffin grabbed a rebound off of a missed layup and found an open Imari Martin, who sprinted down the floor for a fast-break layup. That shot, combined with another layup from Kennedy Gavin with five seconds remaining, was all Jacksonville State needed to secure the 69-64 triumph.
 
Fifth-year Kyra Williams added ten points and five rebounds while senior NeKiyah Thompson finished with ten points, three boards, and three assists. Graduate Kennedy Gavin had eight points and seven rebounds, fifth-year Shawnta Shaw posted a seven-point, four-rebound, four-assist effort, and freshman Brooklyn McDaniel ended up with six points against the Falcons. 
 
Three performers tallied their first playing time as a Gamecock in Tuesday's day-game at The Pete. McDaniel, redshirt junior Masengo Mutanda (two points), and freshman Evelina Davlakou (four points) made their unofficial JSU debuts versus Montevallo. 
 
JSU out-shot UM 42.6% to 41.2% from the field and 33.3% to 31.3% from beyond the arc. The Gamecocks had 16 fast break points, however, a stat that likely loomed large for the Falcons in their slim defeat. 
 
"It's a cliché in coaching- the film doesn't lie," Pietri said. "When our players see the things that they didn't execute well, and understand that the adjustment is in their hands, I think that it'll be very healthy to see those things. And we'll address those things in the practices that we have leading up to our first game that counts."
 
Jacksonville State's women open the regular season next Monday at 5:45 p.m. versus Shorter. That showdown will be the first of a doubleheader with the Hawks, as the men's game will follow at 8 p.m. Both of those matchups at Pete Mathews Coliseum will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
"I would just like to see a higher level of desire daily to improve ourselves," Pietri said. "We suffer, as an entire unit, with a little bit of complacency from the success we've had in the past. If we continue to function that way, we're not going to be able to excel in the ways that we say we want to."
 
Links to watch the game and follow along with LiveStats will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. Additionally, score updates will be posted on JSU's women's basketball Twitter account (@JSUGamecocksWBB).
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, be sure to follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State University Women's Basketball), Twitter, and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksWBB) accounts.