Thursday, January 5
JACKSONVILLE
6 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Lipscomb
Two ASUN Tests on Tap for Gamecocks This Week
1/4/2023 1:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – After a successful three-week road trip, Jacksonville State women's basketball returns home later this week for a pair of important ASUN Conference tests. The Gamecocks host Lipscomb at 6 p.m. Thursday before tangling with Queens (N.C.) at 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
Jax State (8-4, 1-0) enters this week's double-dip of league contests winners of five consecutive matchups. JSU's last loss came at Ole Miss on Dec. 11. Following a come-from-behind win against Alabama State, two victories in Las Vegas over Utah Tech and Campbell, and road triumphs at Chattanooga and Central Arkansas, the Gamecocks appear to be peaking as we reach conference play.
Rick Pietri's squad scored a massive road victory their last time out. Jacksonville State led wire-to-wire in a 65-45 rout of Central Arkansas in the Natural State. JSU opened the ASUN Conference slate in style, shooting 44.8% as a team at Farris Center while holding the Sugar Bears to just 19-of-56 from the field. The defending ASUN West Division Champions will now host two competitive foes in their first home league matchups of 2023.
Lipscomb (7-6, 1-0) played a strong non-conference schedule and held up well against top-tier competition. Only one team- Tennessee State- defeated the Bisons by double digits. Despite suffering losses at TCU, Northern Kentucky, and versus San Diego in Hawaii, Lipscomb hung tight until the very end. Then, on Dec. 18, fourth-year head coach Lauren Sumski's team fell 72-71 in overtime at cross-town rival Vanderbilt. The Bisons withstood a second-half comeback attempt by North Alabama in Monday's 62-60 win at Allen Arena.
Two of the ASUN's best scorers play for Sumski's Bisons in Aleah Sorrentino (15.6 points per game) and Jalyn Holcomb (14.5 points per game). In addition, Sorrentino's 8.5 rebounds are the best such mark on the team. Lipscomb is 87th nationally in scoring offense (72.2 points per game) while conversely having Top 20 ranks in defensive three-point percentage (24.0%, 10th) and defensive rebounds per game (30.4, 20th).
As for Queens (5-7, 0-1), the Royals finished its first non-conference slate as a Division I member with a record just below .500. The team, led by third-year head coach Jen Brown, picked up wins over South Carolina State and USC Upstate but suffered decisive defeats at James Madison (89-48), Washington (54-28), and Gonzaga (73-49). Queens lost their first ever ASUN Conference affair, 62-43, at home against Austin Peay on Monday.
Just one member of the Royals, senior guard Adia Brisker, is scoring over ten points per game. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native has averaged 12.1 points per game thus far. Their best rebounder is 5-foot-11 forward Jordyn Weaver, who has pulled down 76 rebounds in 12 outings (6.3 per game).
Graduate forward Kennedy Gavin posted the third double-double of her season by finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's win at Central Arkansas. The Southern Miss transfer is JSU's leading rebounder as she averages 7.4 boards per game. Gavin is now third on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game, sitting behind fellow fifth-years Shawnta Shaw (12.8 points per game) and Imari Martin (12.1 points per game).
Through their first 13 games, Jacksonville State has found success by staying disciplined, both on defense and in taking care of the basketball. The Gamecocks have the 13th best scoring defense in the nation (53.1 points allowed per game) and are 63rd in scoring margin (+12.1 points per game). Furthermore, Jax State ranks fifth in turnovers per game (11.4), seventh in defensive three-point percentage (23.7%), 20th in turnover margin (+6.00), 67th in fouls per game (15.2), and 74th in defensive field goal percentage (37.0%).
JSU is 5-3 all-time versus Lipscomb after winning each of the last four meetings. Pietri's women downed the Bisons 80-70 at The Pete in January 2022 before handing Lipscomb a 62-53 loss a month later in Nashville. Saturday's game against Queens, on the other hand, will be the first ever meeting on the hardwood between the Royals and the Gamecocks.
Thursday's game at Pete Mathews Coliseum will tip-off at 6 p.m. while Saturday's affair in Jacksonville will start at 5:45 p.m. The latter will be part of a doubleheader, as the men will duke it out with Bellarmine at 8 p.m. Saturday night. Fans unable to attend can follow along with all the action via streaming or listening on the radio. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+. Logan Maddox will cover Thursday's matchup on the Gamecock Sports Network on YouTube, while Mike Parris handles both the women's and men's games on Saturday over the radio.
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 (@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.
Jax State (8-4, 1-0) enters this week's double-dip of league contests winners of five consecutive matchups. JSU's last loss came at Ole Miss on Dec. 11. Following a come-from-behind win against Alabama State, two victories in Las Vegas over Utah Tech and Campbell, and road triumphs at Chattanooga and Central Arkansas, the Gamecocks appear to be peaking as we reach conference play.
Rick Pietri's squad scored a massive road victory their last time out. Jacksonville State led wire-to-wire in a 65-45 rout of Central Arkansas in the Natural State. JSU opened the ASUN Conference slate in style, shooting 44.8% as a team at Farris Center while holding the Sugar Bears to just 19-of-56 from the field. The defending ASUN West Division Champions will now host two competitive foes in their first home league matchups of 2023.
Lipscomb (7-6, 1-0) played a strong non-conference schedule and held up well against top-tier competition. Only one team- Tennessee State- defeated the Bisons by double digits. Despite suffering losses at TCU, Northern Kentucky, and versus San Diego in Hawaii, Lipscomb hung tight until the very end. Then, on Dec. 18, fourth-year head coach Lauren Sumski's team fell 72-71 in overtime at cross-town rival Vanderbilt. The Bisons withstood a second-half comeback attempt by North Alabama in Monday's 62-60 win at Allen Arena.
Two of the ASUN's best scorers play for Sumski's Bisons in Aleah Sorrentino (15.6 points per game) and Jalyn Holcomb (14.5 points per game). In addition, Sorrentino's 8.5 rebounds are the best such mark on the team. Lipscomb is 87th nationally in scoring offense (72.2 points per game) while conversely having Top 20 ranks in defensive three-point percentage (24.0%, 10th) and defensive rebounds per game (30.4, 20th).
As for Queens (5-7, 0-1), the Royals finished its first non-conference slate as a Division I member with a record just below .500. The team, led by third-year head coach Jen Brown, picked up wins over South Carolina State and USC Upstate but suffered decisive defeats at James Madison (89-48), Washington (54-28), and Gonzaga (73-49). Queens lost their first ever ASUN Conference affair, 62-43, at home against Austin Peay on Monday.
Just one member of the Royals, senior guard Adia Brisker, is scoring over ten points per game. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native has averaged 12.1 points per game thus far. Their best rebounder is 5-foot-11 forward Jordyn Weaver, who has pulled down 76 rebounds in 12 outings (6.3 per game).
Graduate forward Kennedy Gavin posted the third double-double of her season by finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's win at Central Arkansas. The Southern Miss transfer is JSU's leading rebounder as she averages 7.4 boards per game. Gavin is now third on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game, sitting behind fellow fifth-years Shawnta Shaw (12.8 points per game) and Imari Martin (12.1 points per game).
Through their first 13 games, Jacksonville State has found success by staying disciplined, both on defense and in taking care of the basketball. The Gamecocks have the 13th best scoring defense in the nation (53.1 points allowed per game) and are 63rd in scoring margin (+12.1 points per game). Furthermore, Jax State ranks fifth in turnovers per game (11.4), seventh in defensive three-point percentage (23.7%), 20th in turnover margin (+6.00), 67th in fouls per game (15.2), and 74th in defensive field goal percentage (37.0%).
JSU is 5-3 all-time versus Lipscomb after winning each of the last four meetings. Pietri's women downed the Bisons 80-70 at The Pete in January 2022 before handing Lipscomb a 62-53 loss a month later in Nashville. Saturday's game against Queens, on the other hand, will be the first ever meeting on the hardwood between the Royals and the Gamecocks.
Thursday's game at Pete Mathews Coliseum will tip-off at 6 p.m. while Saturday's affair in Jacksonville will start at 5:45 p.m. The latter will be part of a doubleheader, as the men will duke it out with Bellarmine at 8 p.m. Saturday night. Fans unable to attend can follow along with all the action via streaming or listening on the radio. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+. Logan Maddox will cover Thursday's matchup on the Gamecock Sports Network on YouTube, while Mike Parris handles both the women's and men's games on Saturday over the radio.
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 (@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.
Players Mentioned
Monday, March 30
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, February 21
Saturday, February 07
