JACKSONVILLE – A go-ahead jumper from
Kennedy Gavin with 4.9 seconds to go propelled Jacksonville State women's basketball to a 43-41 triumph over Central Arkansas at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Thursday night. The win halted a four-game losing streak for the Gamecocks and improved their record to 3-5 in league play.
"It's just one of those things that happened to work as you drew it up," Jacksonville State head coach
Rick Pietri said. "I mean, she had to make the play, but we were trying to get her the ball, and she made it happen. We were trying to create space for her."
With time ticking down in the fourth period, Gavin snuck open near the free throw line when senior guard
NeKiyah Thompson raced into the lane, looping around to the far corner. That motion drew Gavin's defender, Kyjai Miles, away from the graduate forward once the ball was headed her way. Gavin faked a drive and Miles, who was slightly out-of-position, over-pursued, giving the Petal, Miss., native enough room to put up an accurate step-back jumper.
"We were in the huddle, and (Pietri) looked at me and said, 'Make the shot,'" Gavin said. "I just went out there and made a shot that I practice by myself in the gym. I wasn't really worried about the time or worried about the score, so it wasn't like I was panicking. I just made a shot that I work on all the time, so it was just a regular shot for me."
Gavin finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win, but none of her five field goals were bigger than the final shot made at The Pete in Thursday's matchup. That massive make handed Jax State a hard-fought victory in an all-out battle with Central Arkansas.
The two sides played tight in a competitive first period. Jax State knocked down a pair of threes but converted just four total shots in the stanza. Conversely, the Gamecock defense held UCA to 3-of-12 from the field and led 12-10 at the end of one. Unfortunately, the shots were not falling in the second period. Central Arkansas outscored Jacksonville State 11-6 in the frame, including a 6-0 run to end the period, to claim a 21-18 halftime advantage.
Halftime adjustments by Pietri and company worked to perfection down the stretch of the third period. After the Sugar Bears and Gamecocks traded blows, it was a 7-1 run to end the interval by the latter that helped them to a 35-31 lead. After a higher scoring third period, both offenses struggled to find consistency in the fourth. Two separate 4-0 runs saw UCA tie it up, including a converted layup with 26 seconds remaining to knot it at 41, but Gavin's late shot was the difference in a classic ASUN affair.
Shawnta Shaw had a game-high 13 points and five rebounds and
Masengo Mutanda, who earned her third straight start, ended up with seven points and three boards.
NeKiyah Thompson also returned after missing several games due to injury and had four points in the win.
The Jax State offense struggled again, shooting just 30.9% from the field and committed 19 total turnovers. However, the Gamecock defense shined once again at The Pete. Central Arkansas converted 14 of their 49 attempts and turned the ball over 24 times in their loss. Jacksonville State also outscored the visitors 12-0 in fast-break opportunities, 10-4 off turnovers, and 7-0 from the bench.
Jacksonville State returns to action Saturday at home in an ASUN Conference bout versus North Alabama. It will be part of a doubleheader in Jacksonville, with the men playing Austin Peay directly afterward. The women's intrastate meeting will tip-off at 1:45 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 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.
