JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's basketball will try to halt a four-game losing skid with an ASUN Conference matchup at home on Thursday. The Gamecocks will welcome league foe Central Arkansas to Pete Mathews Coliseum for a 5:45 p.m. tip-off.
Jax State (9-9, 2-5) competed against a talented Kennesaw State bunch in last week's home-and-home but suffered a pair of losses to the Owls. KSU led by as many as 24 in last Thursday's clash in Kennesaw and held on late to secure a 71-61 triumph. Jacksonville State played tit-for-tat with Kennesaw State throughout Saturday's classic at The Pete, but a late push saw the Owls pull away in their 65-60 win.
The Gamecocks have now lost four straight in conference play and sit in a tie for eighth in the ASUN with a 2-5 mark. Thursday's test will pit them against last-place Central Arkansas (6-12, 1-6), a team they beat by 20 points earlier this month.
UCA is also in the midst of a four-game losing streak after falling to Austin Peay and Lipscomb at home last week. Sandra Rushing's squad has won just one ASUN affair this season- an upset of Eastern Kentucky in Conway, Ark., on Jan. 7. The Sugar Bears lost to Jax State, 65-45, on Jan. 2, but have played close in every other conference game aside from an 86-31 setback against FGCU on Jan. 14.
Freshman phenom Parris Atkins (11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds per game) is the leading scorer and one of the best rebounders for Central Arkansas but has been battling injuries for two-and-a-half weeks. In that time, Birmingham native Randrea Wright has stepped up and is now second on the squad with 10.8 points per game. In addition, junior forward Kierra Prim averages a team-best 7.6 rebounds per contest to go along with her 8.3 points per game.
Jacksonville State played without a couple of high-impact guards last Thursday. Senior guard
NeKiyah Thompson and leading scorer
Shawnta Shaw missed the game in Kennesaw, Ga., and only Shaw was able to return and contribute off the bench in Saturday's showdown in Jacksonville. With the loss of its top two point guards, Jax State was forced to move shooting guard
Imari Martin to the one and welcome junior college transfer
Masengo Mutanda to the starting lineup for the first time as a Gamecock.
Mutanda shined last week, producing two career-best performances. The Northwest Florida State transfer had 15 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's defeat before responding with a 22-point, nine-rebound outing on Saturday.
Kennedy Gavin was also very productive, finishing with a career-high 27 points on Thursday and adding 11 points and three rebounds two days later.
Jax State continues to field one of the most disciplined teams in all of Division I. The Gamecocks are 8
th nationally in turnovers per game (12.2), 14
th in defensive three-point percentage (25.7%), 24
th in scoring defense (55.8 points allowed per game), and 36
th in turnover margin (+4.44).
Jacksonville State is 4-1 all-time versus Central Arkansas and have won four in a row over the Sugar Bears. UCA's only win came on Nov. 26, 2013, at The Pete, in a 58-54 triumph. Jax State, who has never lost in Conway, downed Central Arkansas 66-48 last February in Jacksonville.
Thursday's game in Calhoun County will tip-off at 5:45 p.m. and will be part of a doubleheader. The men's basketball game against Lipscomb will follow with tip-off slated for 8 p.m. Furthermore, the world-renowned Red Panda will perform at halftime of both games at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Both of Thursday's contests will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Mike Parris will cover the matchups on the Gamecock Sports Network.
Links to follow along with live stats, watch, or listen to the games will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. Score updates and highlights will be posted on JSU women's basketball's Twitter account (@JaxStateWBB).
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, be sure to follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State University Women's Basketball), Twitter (@JaxStateWBB), and Instagram (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
