CONWAY, ARK. – Kennedy Gavin produced a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double on Monday night in Jacksonville State women's basketball's 65-45 ASUN Conference win at Central Arkansas. The victory marked the fifth straight win for Jax State, and their fourth consecutive win away from Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
Gavin tied a career-high in points and played a big part in JSU's 39 rebounds against a tall Sugar Bear squad. Her efforts helped the Gamecocks, who jumped on UCA early, maintain their large lead with a big second half.
 
"The nice thing about this team is that we have different people who can lead us from one night to another," Jacksonville State head coach Rick Pietri said after the win. "Kennedy was pivotal, not only scoring 19, but being efficient offensively as well as getting double-digit rebounds. Imari Martin was very efficient offensively as well. That's the nice thing about this team: you never know is going to emerge as the individuals that may carry us from one night to the next."
 
Shawnta Shaw raced down the floor and converted a layup to open the game and Jax State never looked back. The Gamecocks shot 46% in the opening frame and held the Sugar Bears to just 5-of-19 from the field. Their 19-13 lead through one grew tremendously in the second period as JSU outscored UCA 21-9. Jacksonville State added ten more field goals before halftime to create a 40-22 difference. 
 
Central Arkansas pieced together several successful possessions to start the second half. After an early Kyra Williams free throw, the Sugar Bears proceeded to go on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 11. However, an 8-0 scoring spurt by the Gamecocks immediately followed, growing the lead back out. Jacksonville State carried a 12-0 scoring run into the middle of the fourth period and put the game on ice in a 20-point triumph.
 
Aside from Gavin, numerous Gamecocks had impressive nights in the Natural State. Imari Martin connected on her first three three-pointers and finished with 15 points while Shawnta Shaw added 12 points, five steals, four assists, and four rebounds. Freshman Brooklyn McDaniel finished with seven points, two rebounds, and an assist.
 
JSU tallied nine steals and forced 18 turnovers, ending up with 17 points off fast breaks and 16 points off turnovers in Conway, Ark. Alike the Chattanooga win, the Gamecock offense lived down low and tallied 38 points in the paint. Jax State also outscored UCA in second chance points, 13-9, and bench points, 16-15. Jacksonville State's offense thrived once again, ending with 26 made field goals and a 44.8% shooting percentage. 
 
"We had really good focus in terms of executing what we had to do," Pietri said. "I also think we were able to create some opportunities for ourselves in transition off turnovers that led to easy baskets. We were able to find a way to score in the interior, which is frankly not something that I expected based on the way that UCA plays defense, but we got it done.
 
"Defensively, for the most part, we stuck to the plan and stuck to our assignments," Pietri said. "We did have breakdowns a couple of times, and they could've penalized us for the breakdowns, but they weren't able to do that. The good news for us is that we did do a solid job on the defensive glass."
 
The next contest for JSU will take place Thursday at Pete Mathews Coliseum. After three weeks on the road, the Gamecocks return home to host ASUN foe Lipscomb. That league showdown will tip-off at 6 p.m. in Jacksonville.
 
"Lipscomb looks different this year than they did last year," Pietri said. "They have a high-quality post player as well as players that are back from last year that can score from the perimeter. It's going to be a serious test for us."
 
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