LYNCHBURG, Va. – Jacksonville State women's basketball hits the road this weekend in hopes of ending their losing streak in Conference USA play. The Gamecocks, fresh off a setback against visiting Middle Tennessee, travel to Liberty for a 1 p.m. pairing on Saturday afternoon. It will be the second and final showdown between the two programs in the 2023-24 regular season.
"We're in a league right now where we play everybody twice and there are challenges with that," head coach
Rick Pietri said. "We happened to beat these guys at our place, and we both have played three games in between. We've seen each other, we have a feel for each other, and I'm sure both sides will try to push some slightly different buttons in this meeting.
"They certainly have a quality roster and a quality coach who's going to come up with some ways to mess with what we do," Pietri said. "We have to find a way to manage that and hopefully mess with what they do at the same time."
Jax State (6-11, 1-4) lost 66-45 against MTSU on Wednesday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum. A poor start spelled doom for the Red-and-White. They matched the Lady Raiders' offensive output in the second half but could not overcome a 21-point halftime deficit against the defending Conference USA champions. This marked the team's third-straight loss, tying a season-long skid. Their last win was in a 78-63 triumph over visiting Liberty (7-13, 2-3) at home on Jan. 10.
"We competed in the second half against Middle, so I just want to see us compete on Saturday," Pietri said. "I'd like to see us make some open shots. Sometimes, when your offense is going well, it energizes your defense. We've been able to play decent defense at times with out scoring, so we're trying to find a way to score and maintain the same energy."
6-foot forward
Bre'Anna Rhodes has been a consistent piece all season long and paces the squad's efforts in scoring (8.9 points per game) and rebounding (5.4 rebounds per game).
Kristol Ayson (7.1 ppg) and
Jaz Spencer (6.5 ppg) are just behind her on the offensive end while Shelton State Community College transfer
Mya Barnes (4.8 rpg) has continued to climb the charts for Jax State in grabbing boards.
The Flames, who played an outrageously tough non-league slate, have won two of their first five matchups in their inaugural season of Conference USA hoops. Their loss in Jacksonville two weeks ago was immediately followed by a 66-59 win over Louisiana Tech at home. After dropping a road contest at FIU, 70-59, on Jan. 18, Liberty rebounded with an 84-77 result at Sam Houston two days later. They were the lone CUSA program to not partake in a midweek showdown this week and thus will enter Saturday's after a week off.
Preseason All-CUSA selection Emma Hess had a rare off-night at The Pete in the first showdown between these two teams this year. The three-point specialist went just 2-of-16 from the field and 0-for-8 from long range. She has since averaged 19.7 points per contest and most recently poured in a career-high 30 points last Saturday versus the Bearkats.
The results of the first four games in the Jax State-Liberty series have split right down the middle, with each side coming away victorious twice. The home team has never lost in the series.
Saturday's game will be covered on ESPN+ 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 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.
