Wednesday, November 30
JACKSONVILLE
6 P.M.
Jax State
vs
Samford
Jax State Set for Wednesday Night Battle with Samford
11/29/2022 12:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – After setting a new program high-mark for consecutive wins at home, Jacksonville State women's basketball returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Wednesday night in search of their first Division I victory of the 2022-23 campaign. The Gamecocks will play host to in-state foe Samford in that non-conference affair which tips off at 6 p.m.
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"We have to show that we're willing to compete at a high level for a full game," JSU head coach Rick Pietri said. "The last time we did something resembling that was when we played Georgia, and that's been a while. The number one thing is to show that we have a willingness and a desire to compete for the full 40 minutes against a very competent team."
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Jax State (2-2) earned their ninth win in a row at The Pete last Tuesday by downing Life University, 63-40. Pietri's squad has not lost in Jacksonville since a 66-44 setback versus FGCU on Jan. 22 and will look to continue their winning ways in Wednesday's showdown against Samford.
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"Since I've been here, and even in a couple of our down years, we've been pretty good at home," Pietri said. "Our kids enjoy the environment here, they're comfortable here, and it's lead to some success which we're certainly happy for."
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The Bulldogs (3-5) are coming off an 0-2 outing in the UCF Thanksgiving Classic. Samford dropped two competitive games, as they lost by five to the host Knights before a poor fourth period led to a 75-63 loss to Rhode Island. The 2022-23 season has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far for the Bulldogs; SU lost their first three games to solid D1 competition then rebounded with three straight victories over Alabama A&M, Miles, and Talladega. After those defeats in Orlando, 2021 SoCon Coach of the Year Carley Kuhns will try to manufacture another winning streak and deliver the program's first win in Calhoun County since 2015.
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Samford's top performers through their first eight games have been senior guard Andrea Cournoyer and 6-foot-3 center Sussy Ngulefac. Cournoyer is tops on the team in points per game (19.4) and has the second-most rebounds per contest (4.1) for the Bulldogs, while Ngulefac is first in rebounds per game (5.5) and second in points per game (11.3).
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"(Samford) can score the ball. Cournoyer is a great player, and she's putting up literal All-American-type statistics right now in terms of efficiency and gross points scored," Pietri said. "They have an interior presence, perimeter shooting, and score at a high-level. I would say they are the best offensive team that we have seen to this point in the year. We've struggled to score here recently, so we're going to have to be absolutely elite defensively in order to give ourselves a chance to win this game.
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Shawnta Shaw stayed hot in last week's win over Life. The fifth-year guard had a team-high 14 points and three rebounds in the triumph and has 13.5 points per game. Imari Martin follows closely behind, averaging 11 points per outing. Graduate forward Kennedy Gavin, who had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game and is fifth with 7.8 points per game so far.
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Jacksonville State is 16-18 against Samford all-time. The Gamecocks won an extremely competitive showdown in Homewood last November, beating the Bulldogs 56-53 on the road. JSU is 6-10 at home against Samford and won their previous meeting at The Pete, 63-46, on Dec. 16, 2020.
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Fans unable to attend Wednesday's game in Jacksonville can follow along with all the action via streaming or listening on the radio. Chase Robinson and Gerhard Mathangani will be on the call on ESPN+, while Hall of Famer Mike Parris will cover the matchup on the Gamecock Sports Network.
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Links to follow along with live stats or to watch or listen to Wednesday's contest will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. Score updates and highlights will be posted on JSU women's basketball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecocksWBB).Â
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To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, be sure to follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State University Women's Basketball), Twitter (@JSUGamecocksWBB), and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksWBB) accounts.
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"We have to show that we're willing to compete at a high level for a full game," JSU head coach Rick Pietri said. "The last time we did something resembling that was when we played Georgia, and that's been a while. The number one thing is to show that we have a willingness and a desire to compete for the full 40 minutes against a very competent team."
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Jax State (2-2) earned their ninth win in a row at The Pete last Tuesday by downing Life University, 63-40. Pietri's squad has not lost in Jacksonville since a 66-44 setback versus FGCU on Jan. 22 and will look to continue their winning ways in Wednesday's showdown against Samford.
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"Since I've been here, and even in a couple of our down years, we've been pretty good at home," Pietri said. "Our kids enjoy the environment here, they're comfortable here, and it's lead to some success which we're certainly happy for."
Â
The Bulldogs (3-5) are coming off an 0-2 outing in the UCF Thanksgiving Classic. Samford dropped two competitive games, as they lost by five to the host Knights before a poor fourth period led to a 75-63 loss to Rhode Island. The 2022-23 season has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far for the Bulldogs; SU lost their first three games to solid D1 competition then rebounded with three straight victories over Alabama A&M, Miles, and Talladega. After those defeats in Orlando, 2021 SoCon Coach of the Year Carley Kuhns will try to manufacture another winning streak and deliver the program's first win in Calhoun County since 2015.
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Samford's top performers through their first eight games have been senior guard Andrea Cournoyer and 6-foot-3 center Sussy Ngulefac. Cournoyer is tops on the team in points per game (19.4) and has the second-most rebounds per contest (4.1) for the Bulldogs, while Ngulefac is first in rebounds per game (5.5) and second in points per game (11.3).
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"(Samford) can score the ball. Cournoyer is a great player, and she's putting up literal All-American-type statistics right now in terms of efficiency and gross points scored," Pietri said. "They have an interior presence, perimeter shooting, and score at a high-level. I would say they are the best offensive team that we have seen to this point in the year. We've struggled to score here recently, so we're going to have to be absolutely elite defensively in order to give ourselves a chance to win this game.
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Shawnta Shaw stayed hot in last week's win over Life. The fifth-year guard had a team-high 14 points and three rebounds in the triumph and has 13.5 points per game. Imari Martin follows closely behind, averaging 11 points per outing. Graduate forward Kennedy Gavin, who had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game and is fifth with 7.8 points per game so far.
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Jacksonville State is 16-18 against Samford all-time. The Gamecocks won an extremely competitive showdown in Homewood last November, beating the Bulldogs 56-53 on the road. JSU is 6-10 at home against Samford and won their previous meeting at The Pete, 63-46, on Dec. 16, 2020.
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Fans unable to attend Wednesday's game in Jacksonville can follow along with all the action via streaming or listening on the radio. Chase Robinson and Gerhard Mathangani will be on the call on ESPN+, while Hall of Famer Mike Parris will cover the matchup on the Gamecock Sports Network.
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Links to follow along with live stats or to watch or listen to Wednesday's contest will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. Score updates and highlights will be posted on JSU women's basketball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecocksWBB).Â
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To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, be sure to follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State University Women's Basketball), Twitter (@JSUGamecocksWBB), and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksWBB) accounts.
Players Mentioned
Monday, March 30
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, February 21
Saturday, February 07
