JACKSONVILLE – A complete team performance resulted in a massive 60-50 win over North Alabama for Jacksonville State's women's basketball team in Saturday's home matchup. Kennedy Gavin posted another double-double, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but the story of the game was the consistent, balanced offensive attack for the home squad.
 
"I thought we were much better in how we played offense today than on Thursday," Jax State head coach Rick Pietri said. "With that being said, I still think we left some points on the board where we had great opportunities but just didn't convert. 
 
"We made a decent percentage from the field, out-rebounded them, got 14 offensive rebounds, and we assisted on a lot of baskets today," Pietri said. "Against UCA, we were so single-minded about things that we missed open people. Today we did a much better job of finding open people and not forcing things."
 
The Gamecocks (11-9, 4-5) out-shot the sharpshooting Lions (8-12, 3-6) in the opening period. Three field goals from Kennedy Gavin led to a seven-point start, helping Jax State to a 14-12 advantage. After holding the opposition to just five field goals in the first, Jacksonville State's defense tightened even more and surrendered three made shots in the second period. Their excellence down the stretch allowed the offense to end the half on a 6-0 run, increasing their lead from one point to 27-20 at the break.
 
Both offenses found more success in the third period. North Alabama knocked home five of their 14 attempts in the interval, but the Gamecocks found a way to hit two more shots. Their seven makes- three of which were from deep- built as large as a 15-point cushion and ensured a 45-33 lead going into the final stanza. The fourth period saw Jacksonville State weather several potential runs by the Lions. Though the UNA defense held the Red-and-White without a made shot over the final three minutes, it was not enough in Jax State's 60-50 triumph.
 
Gavin's 19 and 10 marked game-highs. Imari Martin added 13 points and four rebounds while NeKiyah Thompson had 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists. 
 
The Gamecocks outscored the Lions 11-0 in points off turnovers and had twice as many second chance points. Furthermore, the Jax State bench out-scored North Alabama's 28-9.
 
Saturday's outing saw a solid defensive performance from the Jacksonville State defense as well. It held one of the better scoring offenses in the league to just 32% from the field and forced 11 turnovers. The Gamecocks also out-rebounded a taller Lions squad 46-34.
 
Jacksonville State hits the road next week for a pair of ASUN Conference matchups. The Gamecocks will head to Lynchburg, Va., on Thursday to play the red-hot Liberty Flames at 6 p.m., then meet Queens in Charlotte, N.C., two days later. 
 
Links to follow along with live stats, watch, or listen to next week's 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.