BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –
Elsie Harris scored a career-best 23 points in Monday's road pairing at UAB, but it was not enough for Jax State's women's basketball squad. A back-and-forth battle fell in favor of the Blazers as they handed the Gamecocks an 85-78 loss in overtime.
"That's one we let slip away from us," head coach
Rick Pietri said. "The encouraging thing is that while they were steamrolling us on the offensive end (in the second half), we were at least competing and making plays to balance it out on our offensive end. The problem was at the end of the game, when we had a chance to win it in regulation, we had some point-blank opportunities that we just didn't finish. If we finish those opportunities, that changes everything."
Jacksonville State found success early on offense at Bartow Arena. After a pair of early buckets by the Blazers, the Red-and-White proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to claim an 11-4 lead at the media timeout. They were up by as many as nine in the first and, after shooting 53% from the field in the period, led 17-12 going into the second. Unfortunately, that hot start did not carry over. A 11-0 spurt for UAB helped them claim the advantage before the Gamecocks went back to work. The trend of scoring runs continued, and 13 points in a row for the visitors put Pietri's squad up 30-23 at the break.
Following a first half where the defenses impressed for the most part, both offenses exploded in the third quarter. UAB, who put up just 23 points in the opening 20 minutes, totaled 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting in the third. The Gamecocks, propelled by Harris' 16 points in the interval, held on for a slim 48-47 difference going into the fourth. The final stanza saw the home squad race back out in front with a 25-point period, but late heroics forced the game into overtime.
Kristol Ayson buried a jumper with four seconds remaining to tie it at 72 and secure the extra period.
A handful of turnovers and missed shots in overtime doomed the Gamecocks. UAB capitalized on opportunities from the free throw line down the stretch, pulling away in a seven-point victory.
Harris ended up with 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting off the bench. The redshirt junior from Mobile also set season highs with eight rebounds, three three-pointers, and one steal.
"Without Elsie, some of the shots she was hitting, and the plays she was making, there's no question that we're not even in the game," Pietri said. "When we needed baskets to match their attack, she accounted for a lot of them. She made some great contributions today and I'm happy for her."
Ayson, who exited early in the overtime period with an injury, had a 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists while
Brooklyn McDaniel added 13 points and three boards.
Asia Barclay collected nine rebounds as well.
Jax State returns to play Thursday in Montgomery at Alabama State. Their second straight in-state showdown will tip off at 6 p.m. and it will be broadcast on YouTube Live and the Gamecock Sports Network.
"That's going to be a different animal, but what we have to be able to do is match it when another team turns up the volume," Pietri said. "Alabama State is something else at home. I've coached twice in that building. I went there when I was at South Alabama and lost and we went there two years ago and lost. They're going to bring an extremely high level of energy and we'll have to find a way to counteract that to win."
Links to watch or follow along with live stats for that game will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. In addition, score updates will be posted on Jax State Women's Basketball's X account (@JaxStateWBB).
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
