JACKSONVILLE – Kennedy Gavin turned in another strong performance and Keiara Griffin made a crucial three-point play in the final minute of Jacksonville State women's basketball's 59-54 triumph over Bellarmine on Thursday evening. That win moves the Gamecocks to .500 in ASUN Conference play and, to hear it from head coach Rick Pietri, serves as a massive boost for Jax State's league tournament seeding.
 
"It's an extremely important win for us," Pietri said. "We're trying to put ourselves in a good situation because the difference between sixth and seventh in this league is the Grand Canyon. The gap is the Grand Canyon, and we want to be on the right side of that canyon."
 
Gavin had a game-high 17 points and grabbed seven boards against a monumental opposing player. Gavin's main assignment was covering Bellarmine (7-18, 3-9) freshman Gracie Merkle, a 6-foot-6 center averaging double figures in points and rebounds in conference matchups. While Merkle produced 16 points and eight rebounds, the effort in covering her by Gavin and the Gamecock (13-10, 6-6) defense was massive in preserving the five-point win. 
 
"I thought we did a pretty good job (guarding Merkle)," Pietri said. "The primary defender was Kennedy Gavin, and I thought Kennedy did a great job. We also provided her support when we needed to and had to. I think it just goes to show you how effective she is that I think we did a pretty good job and she still had 16 points. She's a problem and, fortunately, we made her work for it."
 
Both defenses came to play early at The Pete. Shawnta Shaw recorded a steal one minute in and although she missed the layup on the other end, Griffin was there for a put-back to give the Gamecocks an early lead. The two sides traded field goals down the stretch before five consecutive made free throws by NeKiyah Thompson helped Jax State to a 9-6 advantage. 
 
Bellarmine cut their deficit to one in the final moments of the first, but a huge scoring spurt would catapult Jacksonville State back to a sizable lead. Three treys to open the second interval pushed it to 18-8 before the Knights battled back. They would make things interesting with a run of their own, but the Gamecock defense caused just enough havoc in the last couple minutes to stay out in front at the half, 26-24. 
 
The third was not as friendly for the home squad. Bellarmine manufactured a 7-0 spurt to tally their first lead since the first period and outscored Jax State 20-14 in the period. All of Jacksonville State's points came from Kennedy Gavin, who was 4-of-5 from the field, and Thompson, who added five. On the other side, BU had much more success with a balanced offensive attack and, as a result, led 44-40 at the end of three. 
 
A strong start and a better finish to the final stanza ensured a thrilling win in Jacksonville. The Gamecocks scored seven consecutive points early in the fourth to reclaim the lead, but the Knights responded and cut the deficit to one with a made jumper with just over 90 seconds remaining. Thankfully for the Red-and-White, Griffin came through in crunch time. The junior from Birmingham made a layup through contact with 1:02 left and converted the and-one to increase the lead from one to four points. That separation, paired with successful free throws late, capped off a victory in an all-out battle for Jax State.
 
Shaw added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals and Thompson also finished in double-digits with 10 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Griffin had eight points and eight boards and Imari Martin turned in an eight-point performance as well.
 
As expected, a much taller Bellarmine squad out-rebounded Jacksonville State 41-37 and out-scored the Gamecocks in the paint 32-22. Jax State had advantages in points off turnovers (20 to Bellarmine's 13), fast-break points (9-2), and bench points (22-10). Pietri's defense applied plenty of pressure once again, forcing the Knights to turn the ball over 19 times.
 
Jacksonville State returns to action Saturday at home in an ASUN Conference bout versus Eastern Kentucky. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Gamecock Sports Network.
 
Links to follow along with live stats, watch, or listen to Saturday's game 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.