LYNCHBURG, Va. – A poor second half spelled doom for Jacksonville State women's basketball in their 82-73 setback versus Kennesaw State in the first round of the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship. That loss ends the Gamecocks' season at 16-14, a year in which Jax State lost all three matchups with the rival Owls. 
 
"As the coach, I take responsibility for this loss," head coach Rick Pietri said. "It was my job to get them ready for this game and they just weren't. Kennesaw's more talented, but they played hard too. We didn't get a single loose ball all night long. They just wanted it more than we did, so credit to them."
 
Both offenses started hot at Liberty Arena. Jacksonville State shot 61.5% from the field in the opening ten minutes and, led by 11 points from Shawnta Shaw, converted eight field goals. Those efforts helped the Gamecocks to a 23-21 advantage through the first quarter over Kennesaw State. Though Kennesaw State (15-15) battled back in the second and eventually retook the lead, a pair of big threes from Imari Martin stretched the lead back out for Jax State. Her ten points in the period out-paced the Owls' efforts and assisted the Gamecocks in claiming a 43-40 lead at the break. 
 
Although Jacksonville State's offense continued to produce in the second half, their defense could not get the key stops they relied on in the first 20 minutes. Additionally, five missed free throws weighed heavily on the Gamecocks as Kennesaw State outscored them 23-17 in the third. KSU opened the final stanza on a 9-1 scoring run to create the game's first double digit advantage. Rick Pietri's team fought to the finish but came up just short in an 82-73 loss. 
 
Shaw had a career-high 20 points in her final college outing and added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Martin connected on five threes, moving into a tie for fourth in Jacksonville State history with 157 made treys in her career. The Hazel Green, Ala., native posted a 20-point outing against the Owls. Kyra Williams also scored in double figures, tallying 10 points and three boards in Liberty Arena.
 
The Gamecocks were out-rebounded 32-24 and out-shot 53.7% to 46%. Jax State turned the ball over 15 times and trailed 15-4 in points off turnovers. 
 
"Although we lost, we went 16-14 this year," Pietri said. That makes four of the last five seasons we've had a winning record, and six years in a row that we've finished .500 or better in conference play. That's one positive that I come away from tonight knowing."
 
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