JACKSONVILLE – Gamecock women's basketball won their tenth consecutive game at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Wednesday against Samford, and JSU will try for another home triumph on Sunday afternoon against Davidson. That non-conference affair in Calhoun County will tip-off at 2 p.m.
Jacksonville State improved to 3-2 on the year with a 75-59 victory over the visiting Bulldogs in the friendly confines in their last outing. Head coach
Rick Pietri's squad has not lost at home since falling to Florida Gulf Coast on Jan. 22, and his veteran team will put their program-best home winning streak on the line on Sunday afternoon.
Davidson (2-6) is coming off an 18-win 2021-22 campaign in which they went 2-1 in the Women's Basketball Invite, but the Wildcats have had a rough start to the new year. Wins against High Point and Austin Peay surrounded losses to ACC powers Duke and Maryland in the first couple weeks of the season, but injuries to key players have heavily affected the rhythm of Gayle Fulks' team. DC has lost four in a row entering Sunday's contest and is coming off a 71-52 loss at Wofford on Wednesday morning.
6-foot-3 forward Elle Stuphin is Davidson's main threat on offense, averaging 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The redshirt junior is shooting nearly 53% from the field and has a team-high four blocks through eight games. In addition, senior guard Suzi-Rose Deegan has posted 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and leads the team with 12 steals and 23 assists.
Aside from their season-opening blowout of Shorter, Wednesday's win over Samford was the best performance of the season for JSU's offense. The Gamecocks shot 44.8% and hit nine three-pointers against a stingy Bulldog defense.
Imari Martin tied a career-high of 24 points at The Pete and
Shawnta Shaw set new career-bests with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Shaw's 14.6 points per game and Martin's 14.3 per contest lead the squad, and
Kennedy Gavin has a team-high 7.6 rebounds to go along with her 7.8 points per game through five matchups.
Jax State is 0-1 all-time against Davidson, having lost last year's showdown in the Tar Heel State, 69-58. Sunday's game will be the Wildcats' first ever game in Jacksonville.
Fans unable to attend Sunday'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.
Links to follow along with live stats or to watch or listen to Sunday's contest will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. Score updates and highlights will be posted on JSU women's basketball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecocksWBB).
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.
