Thursday, November 9
St. George, UT
8 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
at
Utah Tech
Women's Hoops Looking for Rebound at Utah Tech
11/8/2023 6:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. GEORGE, Utah – Following Monday's season-opening loss at Auburn, Gamecock women's basketball will look to bounce back and score their first win of the new year on Thursday night at Utah Tech. That non-conference affair will tip-off at 8 p.m. CT at Burns Arena.
"I would just like to see a higher level of competitiveness," head coach Rick Pietri said. "We were competitive at times in the Auburn game and at other times we weren't competitive at all. I would like to see us compete for longer periods of time and see what transpires with that."
Jax State (0-1) opened the season with a dominant 85-55 win over Montevallo in last week's exhibition, then suffered a 78-49 loss on the Plains earlier this week. After a tight opening period, the momentum shifted and the Tigers pulled away quickly thanks to aggressive play on defense and success in generating points off turnovers. In total, the Gamecocks turned the ball over 19 times and an experienced, athletic Auburn team took advantage of that.
Despite the loss, there were positive takeaways from Monday's showing at Neville Arena. Alabama State transfer Samiya Steele scored a team-high 11 points in her Jacksonville State debut and Keiara Griffin finished with nine points, three rebounds, and two steals. Junior college standout Kristol Ayson added eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and Madison McCoy tallied seven rebounds against the Tigers.
As the Gamecocks put that loss in the rearview, they get set for another road pairing in a hostile venue as they take on Utah Tech as part of the Conference USA-Western Athletic Conference scheduling initiative.
The Trailblazers (1-0) opened the year in dominant fashion, blowing out La Verne at home, 116-59, on Monday morning. Utah Tech out-rebounded the Division III Leopards 57-32 while four of their five starters had ten or more points. Prior to their official season-opener, they took a mid-August trip to Greece and posted wins against the Amelia Peristeriou Basketball Club and the Athens All-Stars.
Utah Tech boasts one of the best scorers in mid-major basketball in WAC Preseason Player of the Year Breaunna Gillen. The in-state product and fifth-year guard averaged 17.8 points per game in 2022-23 and scored in double figures in all 31 games during their 19-12 campaign. Fellow returning starters Emily Isaacson, Amber Kartchner, and Maggie McCord are all back for the Trailblazers this winter.
"They have a lot back," Pietri said. "Conversely, we only have four players who played against them last year. The group that was successful against these guys are no longer here. Utah Tech requires a defensive method that's radically different than what we did with Auburn simply because of their style of play. Literally every person on the roster can shoot the three. even their 6-foot-4 center. They spread you and out and they are a problem."
The two teams met up in last year's Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, during which Jacksonville State secured one of its best wins of the season. The Gamecocks overcame a poor start to down the Trailblazers 68-50, outscoring them 59-27 over the final three quarters. Kennedy Gavin, Imari Martin, and Kyra Williams all scored in double figures and Keiara Griffin added eight points and four rebounds.
Thursday's game in the Beehive State will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will have the call of the contest on YouTube Live (@JSUGamecocks). Links to listen to, stream, or follow along with live stats will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. In addition, score updates and highlights 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.
"I would just like to see a higher level of competitiveness," head coach Rick Pietri said. "We were competitive at times in the Auburn game and at other times we weren't competitive at all. I would like to see us compete for longer periods of time and see what transpires with that."
Jax State (0-1) opened the season with a dominant 85-55 win over Montevallo in last week's exhibition, then suffered a 78-49 loss on the Plains earlier this week. After a tight opening period, the momentum shifted and the Tigers pulled away quickly thanks to aggressive play on defense and success in generating points off turnovers. In total, the Gamecocks turned the ball over 19 times and an experienced, athletic Auburn team took advantage of that.
Despite the loss, there were positive takeaways from Monday's showing at Neville Arena. Alabama State transfer Samiya Steele scored a team-high 11 points in her Jacksonville State debut and Keiara Griffin finished with nine points, three rebounds, and two steals. Junior college standout Kristol Ayson added eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and Madison McCoy tallied seven rebounds against the Tigers.
As the Gamecocks put that loss in the rearview, they get set for another road pairing in a hostile venue as they take on Utah Tech as part of the Conference USA-Western Athletic Conference scheduling initiative.
The Trailblazers (1-0) opened the year in dominant fashion, blowing out La Verne at home, 116-59, on Monday morning. Utah Tech out-rebounded the Division III Leopards 57-32 while four of their five starters had ten or more points. Prior to their official season-opener, they took a mid-August trip to Greece and posted wins against the Amelia Peristeriou Basketball Club and the Athens All-Stars.
Utah Tech boasts one of the best scorers in mid-major basketball in WAC Preseason Player of the Year Breaunna Gillen. The in-state product and fifth-year guard averaged 17.8 points per game in 2022-23 and scored in double figures in all 31 games during their 19-12 campaign. Fellow returning starters Emily Isaacson, Amber Kartchner, and Maggie McCord are all back for the Trailblazers this winter.
"They have a lot back," Pietri said. "Conversely, we only have four players who played against them last year. The group that was successful against these guys are no longer here. Utah Tech requires a defensive method that's radically different than what we did with Auburn simply because of their style of play. Literally every person on the roster can shoot the three. even their 6-foot-4 center. They spread you and out and they are a problem."
The two teams met up in last year's Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, during which Jacksonville State secured one of its best wins of the season. The Gamecocks overcame a poor start to down the Trailblazers 68-50, outscoring them 59-27 over the final three quarters. Kennedy Gavin, Imari Martin, and Kyra Williams all scored in double figures and Keiara Griffin added eight points and four rebounds.
Thursday's game in the Beehive State will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will have the call of the contest on YouTube Live (@JSUGamecocks). Links to listen to, stream, or follow along with live stats will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. In addition, score updates and highlights 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.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
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Forward
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/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
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