Thursday, February 16
Jacksonville, FL
6 P.M.
Jax State
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North Florida
2/15/2023 2:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's basketball split last week's ASUN Conference matchups at home and will hit the road this week for a pair of showdowns in the Sunshine State. The Gamecocks play at North Florida at 6 p.m. CT Thursday and take on Jacksonville at noon CT Saturday.
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Jax State (13-11, 6-7) had a great defensive gameplan in last Thursday's home game against Bellarmine. The Gamecock held BU freshman Gracie Merkle, one of the nation's best centers, to just 16 points and eight boards in a 59-54 triumph at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Rick Pietri's renowned defense came to play again in Saturday's affair with Eastern Kentucky, limiting the Colonels to 39.3% from the field and forcing 11 turnovers, but Jacksonville State's offense simply could not find the basket and suffered a 64-58 setback.
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With Saturday's loss, the Gamecocks fell back below .500 in conference play. As a result, they dropped from fifth to seventh in the ASUN standings with just over two weeks left in the regular season. This week's trip to Florida, with matchups against Jacksonville (10-13, 4-9) and last-place North Florida (6-17, 3-10), presents an opportunity to rise in the standings if Jax State can take care of business.
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North Florida has taken some lumps in ASUN play this year. The Ospreys shocked Liberty, 68-58, on Jan. 12 and tallied big wins over Jacksonville and Queens but have also lost some decisive matchups including 20-plus-point defeats at the hands of Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, FGCU, Jacksonville, and Stetson.
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Redshirt junior guard Lyric Swann is UNF's most consistent threat, averaging 14.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She serves as a captain for an Osprey squad looking to improve their marks in scoring offense (58.4 points per game) and scoring defense (70.5 points allowed per game), which rank 298th and 305th nationally.
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Jacksonville had a decent start to the 2022-23 season, competing well in losses at Power 5 opponents Kansas and Ole Miss, but the Dolphins have not been able to carry that momentum over into ASUN action. JU scored league wins over Bellarmine, North Florida, but none of those victories were quite as impressive as their last. On Saturday, Jacksonville earned a 55-52 upset of Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn., narrowly downing a Governors squad that entered 10-2 in conference tilts.
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Four Dolphins- guards Seraphine Bastin and DeShari Graham and forwards KayKay Hayes and Shynia Jackson- are averaging double figures in points per game this year. Bastin's 7.7 boards per game are also a team-best. Jacksonville boasts one of the better defenses in all of Division I, ranking 61st in turnover margin (+3.35), 92nd in steals per game (8.8), and 101st in turnovers forced per game (17.52).
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Kennedy Gavin maintained the tear that she has been on in conference play with a pair of strong outings last week. The graduate forward posted a 17-point, seven-rebound performance in Thursday's win over Bellarmine before adding ten points and eight boards on Saturday against EKU. Gavin has scored in double digits in 12 of the last 13 games and is averaging 16.2 points per contest in ASUN games.
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As has been a trend all season long, Jacksonville State's discipline has kept them in virtually every game. They are 11th nationally in turnovers per game (12.3), 27th in scoring defense (56.2 points allowed per game), 29th in three-point percentage defense (27.1%), and 34th in turnover margin (+4.21).
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The Gamecocks are 1-2 all-time against North Florida. They suffered two road losses versus the Ospreys in 2011 and 2012 but rebounded with a 66-58 win at home last February. Jax State is 9-4 against Jacksonville and has won the last four in the series. Pietri's squad picked up wins at Swisher Gymnasium in 2018 and 2022 and swept both of last season's pairings.
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Thursday's game at UNF Arena will start at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday's game at Jacksonville University will begin around 12 p.m. CT. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will cover the matchups on the Gamecock Sports Network.
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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).Â
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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.
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Jax State (13-11, 6-7) had a great defensive gameplan in last Thursday's home game against Bellarmine. The Gamecock held BU freshman Gracie Merkle, one of the nation's best centers, to just 16 points and eight boards in a 59-54 triumph at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Rick Pietri's renowned defense came to play again in Saturday's affair with Eastern Kentucky, limiting the Colonels to 39.3% from the field and forcing 11 turnovers, but Jacksonville State's offense simply could not find the basket and suffered a 64-58 setback.
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With Saturday's loss, the Gamecocks fell back below .500 in conference play. As a result, they dropped from fifth to seventh in the ASUN standings with just over two weeks left in the regular season. This week's trip to Florida, with matchups against Jacksonville (10-13, 4-9) and last-place North Florida (6-17, 3-10), presents an opportunity to rise in the standings if Jax State can take care of business.
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North Florida has taken some lumps in ASUN play this year. The Ospreys shocked Liberty, 68-58, on Jan. 12 and tallied big wins over Jacksonville and Queens but have also lost some decisive matchups including 20-plus-point defeats at the hands of Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, FGCU, Jacksonville, and Stetson.
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Redshirt junior guard Lyric Swann is UNF's most consistent threat, averaging 14.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She serves as a captain for an Osprey squad looking to improve their marks in scoring offense (58.4 points per game) and scoring defense (70.5 points allowed per game), which rank 298th and 305th nationally.
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Jacksonville had a decent start to the 2022-23 season, competing well in losses at Power 5 opponents Kansas and Ole Miss, but the Dolphins have not been able to carry that momentum over into ASUN action. JU scored league wins over Bellarmine, North Florida, but none of those victories were quite as impressive as their last. On Saturday, Jacksonville earned a 55-52 upset of Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn., narrowly downing a Governors squad that entered 10-2 in conference tilts.
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Four Dolphins- guards Seraphine Bastin and DeShari Graham and forwards KayKay Hayes and Shynia Jackson- are averaging double figures in points per game this year. Bastin's 7.7 boards per game are also a team-best. Jacksonville boasts one of the better defenses in all of Division I, ranking 61st in turnover margin (+3.35), 92nd in steals per game (8.8), and 101st in turnovers forced per game (17.52).
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Kennedy Gavin maintained the tear that she has been on in conference play with a pair of strong outings last week. The graduate forward posted a 17-point, seven-rebound performance in Thursday's win over Bellarmine before adding ten points and eight boards on Saturday against EKU. Gavin has scored in double digits in 12 of the last 13 games and is averaging 16.2 points per contest in ASUN games.
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As has been a trend all season long, Jacksonville State's discipline has kept them in virtually every game. They are 11th nationally in turnovers per game (12.3), 27th in scoring defense (56.2 points allowed per game), 29th in three-point percentage defense (27.1%), and 34th in turnover margin (+4.21).
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The Gamecocks are 1-2 all-time against North Florida. They suffered two road losses versus the Ospreys in 2011 and 2012 but rebounded with a 66-58 win at home last February. Jax State is 9-4 against Jacksonville and has won the last four in the series. Pietri's squad picked up wins at Swisher Gymnasium in 2018 and 2022 and swept both of last season's pairings.
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Thursday's game at UNF Arena will start at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday's game at Jacksonville University will begin around 12 p.m. CT. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will cover the matchups on the Gamecock Sports Network.
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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).Â
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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.
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