CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An incredible shooting performance on the road willed Jacksonville State women's basketball to an 87-63 victory at Queens (N.C.) on Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks shot 52.5% from the field and dominated nearly every category in that decisive win in the Queen City. 
 
"I'm really pleased with how this turned out," Jacksonville State head coach Rick Pietri said. "That about as good offensively as we'd been maybe all year. We really executed what it is we decided we'd try to do, and frankly, I wasn't sure how they were going to play us because at our place every single possession but a handful were zone. Today, they started out in man and we started scoring against them, and then they went to zone, but then we scored against the zone. Every player on the roster scored. I feel really good about what our team was able to accomplish today."
 
Jax State (12-10, 5-6) had somewhat of a slow start in the ASUN Conference contest. Though Bre'Anna Rhodes, who earned the first start of her career, held her own rather well, Queens (8-14, 3-8) raced out to a 7-2 advantage. Fortunately for the Red-and-White faithful in attendance, the Gamecocks rallied to go on a 5-0 run to tie it midway through the frame. The two sides traded blows for a few minutes until Jacksonville State claimed their second lead at 17-16. Pietri's squad would not relinquish that advantage in the final 31 minutes. 
 
The second period was dominated by the Gamecocks. An 11-3 run saw their lead grow from two to ten in virtually no time and completely changed the landscape of the game. While Queens would hit an occasional shot down the stretch, Jax State would routinely respond and headed to the locker rooms on top, 43-33.
 
Quarter no. three was similarly positive for Jacksonville State. After outscoring the Royals 26-17 in the second, the Gamecocks out-paced the home team 20-12 in the third interval. An 18-point lead going into the fourth only grew, and several reserves earned playing time throughout the second half as Jax State claimed an 87-63 blowout win. 
 
NeKiyah Thompson came off the bench and tied a career-high with 18 points. The senior from Atlanta who played in her 100^th game as a Gamecock on Thursday at Liberty added five rebounds in Charlotte. Shawnta Shaw (14 points, three steals) and Kennedy Gavin (14 points) also scored in double figures and Keiara Griffin (nine points, eight rebounds) had a quality outing as well. Every healthy player on the roster earned playing time, scored, and converted a field goal in Saturday's triumph. 
 
Jax State tallied season-highs in free throws made (21), free throw attempts (32), and blocked shots (4) in Charlotte. In addition, their marks in points (87), field goals made (31), field goal percentage (52.5%), and three-point percentage (40%) ranked second, with each of those coming just behind marks set in the Shorter game. Furthermore, the Gamecocks outscored Queens 44-18 in the paint, 15-5 in fast-break points, and 52-29 off bench points. 
 
Jacksonville State returns home next week for a pair of league tests. The Gamecocks will play Bellarmine at 5:15 p.m. Thursday and the men's game against Kennesaw State will follow. Then, on Saturday, Jax State will meet Eastern Kentucky at 4 p.m. in the annual Pink Game. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Gamecock Sports Network. 
 
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). 
 
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.