Wednesday, January 24
JACKSONVILLE
6:30 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Middle Tennessee
Jacksonville State Faces Defending CUSA Champs on Wednesday
1/23/2024 2:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Following a tough loss on the road over the weekend, Jacksonville State's women's basketball team returns home this week to continue their challenging Conference USA schedule. The Gamecocks will likely face their biggest test remaining as they meet the defending CUSA champions, Middle Tennessee, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Jax State (6-10, 1-3) dropped its second straight league showdown on Saturday in Ruston, La., falling 67-53 at Louisiana Tech. The Lady Techsters jumped out to a sizable lead thanks to a 16-point run in the first period and, although the Gamecocks battled back, they could not overcome that deficit in the Pelican State. Rachel Johnson tied a season-high with 12 points and Mya Barnes ended up with 10 points and nine rebounds.
"Louisiana Tech deserves a lot of credit," head coach Rick Pietri said. "They did what they needed to, and we just didn't do enough to win. We did the right thing sometimes, not all the time, and that's sort of been our M-O. You've got to try to do things the right way more than sometimes and that'll give us a better chance to win."
Bre'Anna Rhodes continues to pace the program's efforts in scoring (9.0 points per game) and rebounding (5.2 rebounds per game) and posted her first career double-double in the team's last home game on Jan. 13 against Western Kentucky. Kristol Ayson (6.9 points per game) and Jaz Spencer (6.5 points per game) are just behind her offensively and Barnes (4.6 rebounds per game) has continued to produce in crashing the boards. The Red-and-White will need big outings as they look to upset the red-hot Lady Raiders (14-4, 4-0).
Middle Tennessee won 28 games last season and took a competitive CUSA Championship Game over Western Kentucky before advancing to the Big Dance. They faced a strong group of non-conference foes and added some marquee wins this year, defeating the likes of Houston (70-45), Memphis (67-47 and 64-57), and Tennessee (73-62), and have opened CUSA play with four straight wins. Following a 64-61 victory at Louisiana Tech on Jan. 10, MTSU beat Sam Houston by 32, UTEP by 11, and New Mexico State by 37 points.
"I expect (MTSU) to be what they've always been," Pietri said. "That's highly talented, well-coached, extremely organized, and disruptive. I expect all of the above."
There is no shortage of star power on the Lady Raiders' roster this season. Five different players have won CUSA Player of the Week honors, including CUSA Preseason Player of the Year Savannah Wheeler. The guard won the weekly award again after averaging 24 points in two league triumphs last week and is tops on the team with 16.2 points per game. In addition, Wheeler, Anastasiia Boldyreva, Jalynn Gregory, Ta'Mia Scott, and Courtney Whitson have started all 18 contests this year.
Wednesday's matchup at Pete Mathews Coliseum marks the first ever meeting between the Gamecocks and the Lady Raiders. Pietri has experience with MTSU, however, from his time at South Alabama. He went up against Middle Tennessee 21 times from 2000-13 and scored two wins in his first three seasons in Mobile.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ray Hammett and Mickey Shadrix on the call, and Logan Maddox will handle the Gamecock Sports Network broadcast. Links to listen, watch, or follow along with live stats will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. In addition, score updates and highlights will be posted on Jax State Women's Basketball's X account (@JaxStateWBB).
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
Jax State (6-10, 1-3) dropped its second straight league showdown on Saturday in Ruston, La., falling 67-53 at Louisiana Tech. The Lady Techsters jumped out to a sizable lead thanks to a 16-point run in the first period and, although the Gamecocks battled back, they could not overcome that deficit in the Pelican State. Rachel Johnson tied a season-high with 12 points and Mya Barnes ended up with 10 points and nine rebounds.
"Louisiana Tech deserves a lot of credit," head coach Rick Pietri said. "They did what they needed to, and we just didn't do enough to win. We did the right thing sometimes, not all the time, and that's sort of been our M-O. You've got to try to do things the right way more than sometimes and that'll give us a better chance to win."
Bre'Anna Rhodes continues to pace the program's efforts in scoring (9.0 points per game) and rebounding (5.2 rebounds per game) and posted her first career double-double in the team's last home game on Jan. 13 against Western Kentucky. Kristol Ayson (6.9 points per game) and Jaz Spencer (6.5 points per game) are just behind her offensively and Barnes (4.6 rebounds per game) has continued to produce in crashing the boards. The Red-and-White will need big outings as they look to upset the red-hot Lady Raiders (14-4, 4-0).
Middle Tennessee won 28 games last season and took a competitive CUSA Championship Game over Western Kentucky before advancing to the Big Dance. They faced a strong group of non-conference foes and added some marquee wins this year, defeating the likes of Houston (70-45), Memphis (67-47 and 64-57), and Tennessee (73-62), and have opened CUSA play with four straight wins. Following a 64-61 victory at Louisiana Tech on Jan. 10, MTSU beat Sam Houston by 32, UTEP by 11, and New Mexico State by 37 points.
"I expect (MTSU) to be what they've always been," Pietri said. "That's highly talented, well-coached, extremely organized, and disruptive. I expect all of the above."
There is no shortage of star power on the Lady Raiders' roster this season. Five different players have won CUSA Player of the Week honors, including CUSA Preseason Player of the Year Savannah Wheeler. The guard won the weekly award again after averaging 24 points in two league triumphs last week and is tops on the team with 16.2 points per game. In addition, Wheeler, Anastasiia Boldyreva, Jalynn Gregory, Ta'Mia Scott, and Courtney Whitson have started all 18 contests this year.
Wednesday's matchup at Pete Mathews Coliseum marks the first ever meeting between the Gamecocks and the Lady Raiders. Pietri has experience with MTSU, however, from his time at South Alabama. He went up against Middle Tennessee 21 times from 2000-13 and scored two wins in his first three seasons in Mobile.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ray Hammett and Mickey Shadrix on the call, and Logan Maddox will handle the Gamecock Sports Network broadcast. Links to listen, watch, or follow along with live stats will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. In addition, score updates and highlights will be posted on Jax State Women's Basketball's X account (@JaxStateWBB).
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballMonday, March 30
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, February 21
Saturday, February 07
