JACKSONVILLE – After splitting last week's tough matches along the east coast, Jacksonville State women's basketball returns home on Thursday to play host to a tall Bellarmine bunch. Thursday's ASUN Conference matchup at Pete Mathews Coliseum will tip-off at 5:15 p.m.
Jax State (12-10, 5-6) played what head coach
Rick Pietri called "38 minutes of great basketball" last Thursday at Liberty, but saw a double-digit lead vanish in the final minutes of regulation in the Flames' 72-62 overtime triumph. Fortunately, the Gamecocks did not suffer from a hangover two days later. Instead, their offense posted 87 points, their best scoring output since November, in a 24-point win at Queens (N.C.) to close out the road trip.
Pietri's veteran team has rebounded well from an uncharacteristic four-game losing streak and have won three of their last four in league play. Now, they are set to host a competitive ASUN foe in Bellarmine (7-17, 3-8).
The Knights might have just three wins in conference play, but Chancellor Dugan's squad have played tight in most of their league affairs. Bellarmine downed Eastern Kentucky (85-77), Jacksonville (66-54), and North Florida (65-59) at home in mid-January but are winless on the road. In fact, BU is 0-10 in away games this season, with their only win outside of Louisville coming against St. Bonaventure (72-65) in November in the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational. They come to Jacksonville losers of four straight after being bested by Austin Peay (72-52) and Lipscomb (87-82) at Freedom Hall last week.
The youth has shined for Bellarmine so far this year, but one young standout has stood taller than the rest. 6-foot-6 freshman center Gracie Merkle has dominated for the Knights this season, leading the team in points per game (15.8), rebounds per game (11.1), blocks (54), and shooting percentage (72.7%). Merkle has been named ASUN Player of the Week three times and just tallied a new conference record with her seventh ASUN Freshman of the Week honor on Monday. That selection came after having career-highs with 27 points, on 11-of-11 shooting, and 13 rebounds in Saturday's loss versus Lipscomb.
Jacksonville State's offense produced at a high level in their two showdowns last week as three players scored in double figures in each game.
Kennedy Gavin (14 points, 9 rebounds),
Shawnta Shaw (12 points, 7 rebounds), and
Keiara Griffin (10 points) shot the ball well at Liberty.
NeKiyah Thompson tied a career-best with 18 points at Queens, but the Gamecocks also picked up solid performances from Gavin (14 points) and Shaw (14 points). In addition, Jax State shot 52.5% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.
The Gamecocks are one of the most disciplined teams in the entire nation, with strong ranks in turnovers per game (12.2, 9
th), defensive three-point percentage (26.2%, 18
th), scoring defense (55.9 points allowed per game), and turnover margin (+4.45, 32
nd).
Jax State is 2-0 all-time against Bellarmine after sweeping last season's meetings. The Gamecocks scored a 72-63 win at home in early January 2022 and beat the Knights 77-64 in Louisville one month later.
Thursday's game at The Pete will tip-off at 5:15 p.m. and will be part of a doubleheader. The men's basketball game against Kennesaw State will follow with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. Both of Thursday's contests will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Mike Parris will cover the matchups on 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.
