Saturday, January 6
Miami, FL
12 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
at
FIU
Conference USA Play Opens Saturday at FIU
1/5/2024 11:54:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MIAMI – After posting a 5-7 mark against a stout non-conference slate, Jacksonville State women's basketball is set for its first Conference USA matchup in program history this weekend in the Sunshine State. The Gamecocks will travel south for a noon showdown with FIU in Miami on Saturday.
"We're going to have to play at an extremely high level," head coach Rick Pietri said. "The thing we've fought all year has been consistency, game-to-game, and within the game. We've had good stretches in each of our last five games, but we haven't won them all because of bad stretches."
Jax State (5-7) ended the 2023 calendar year, as well as the team's non-league schedule, on the right foot last Friday as it secured a 55-41 win over visiting South Carolina State at Pete Mathews Coliseum. An impressive first half saw the Red-and-White build as much as a 26-point advantage in the second half before coasting to a comfortable home result. Sophomore forward Brooklyn McDaniel led the way with 12 points and four rebounds while senior playmaker Keiara Griffin added 10 points, five boards, and three rebounds. That victory in Calhoun County improves Jacksonville State's home record to 4-1 this season.
Newcomer Kristol Ayson, a transfer from Arizona Western, led the team's scoring efforts in non-conference action with 8.8 points per game. Griffin and Bre'Anna Rhodes each totaled 60 rebounds in the first 12 games, good enough for an average of 5.0 per contest. Rhodes (8.3 points per game) and Griffin (7.0 points per game) are just behind Ayson in scoring as well. The Gamecock defense, which has allowed just 64.4 points per game, will look to halt a red-hot offense at FIU (9-5).
The Panthers boast the top scoring offense in Conference USA and enter Saturday's pairing averaging 71.6 points per game. Three of their tall forwards- senior Ajae Yoakum (11.0 points per game), 6-foot-2 post Mya Kone (10.9 points per game), and Xavier transfer Courtney Prenger (10.6 points per game)- rank in the top 20 of CUSA scorers thus far. The efforts of those veterans, along with an experienced collective group, have resulted in a successful start to the 2023-24 campaign for fourth-year head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley.
FIU has tallied nine big wins before starting CUSA play. The Panthers have won six of their last seven contests, beating Alabama A&M, Bethune-Cookman, Chicago State, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, and Utah Tech in that timespan. Their biggest win of the season came against the Trailblazers on Saturday at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Utah Tech led 51-49 going into the final stanza, but a 19-point fourth quarter by Burks-Wiley's squad capped off 2023 with a win.
Florida International holds a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series against Jax State. The Gamecocks' lone triumph was a 65-62 win at home on Jan. 16, 1997, when both teams were members of the ASUN Conference. The Panthers are 3-0 against Jacksonville State in Miami and won the last showdown, 79-52, in the Dec. 2011 Lady Osprey Holiday Classic.
"This is conference season, so it's a different season," Pietri said. "Since it's within your conference, there's a higher value to what you're doing. We've had a couple good days of practice, and I think the intentions are right moving forward."
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will have the call on 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.
"We're going to have to play at an extremely high level," head coach Rick Pietri said. "The thing we've fought all year has been consistency, game-to-game, and within the game. We've had good stretches in each of our last five games, but we haven't won them all because of bad stretches."
Jax State (5-7) ended the 2023 calendar year, as well as the team's non-league schedule, on the right foot last Friday as it secured a 55-41 win over visiting South Carolina State at Pete Mathews Coliseum. An impressive first half saw the Red-and-White build as much as a 26-point advantage in the second half before coasting to a comfortable home result. Sophomore forward Brooklyn McDaniel led the way with 12 points and four rebounds while senior playmaker Keiara Griffin added 10 points, five boards, and three rebounds. That victory in Calhoun County improves Jacksonville State's home record to 4-1 this season.
Newcomer Kristol Ayson, a transfer from Arizona Western, led the team's scoring efforts in non-conference action with 8.8 points per game. Griffin and Bre'Anna Rhodes each totaled 60 rebounds in the first 12 games, good enough for an average of 5.0 per contest. Rhodes (8.3 points per game) and Griffin (7.0 points per game) are just behind Ayson in scoring as well. The Gamecock defense, which has allowed just 64.4 points per game, will look to halt a red-hot offense at FIU (9-5).
The Panthers boast the top scoring offense in Conference USA and enter Saturday's pairing averaging 71.6 points per game. Three of their tall forwards- senior Ajae Yoakum (11.0 points per game), 6-foot-2 post Mya Kone (10.9 points per game), and Xavier transfer Courtney Prenger (10.6 points per game)- rank in the top 20 of CUSA scorers thus far. The efforts of those veterans, along with an experienced collective group, have resulted in a successful start to the 2023-24 campaign for fourth-year head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley.
FIU has tallied nine big wins before starting CUSA play. The Panthers have won six of their last seven contests, beating Alabama A&M, Bethune-Cookman, Chicago State, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, and Utah Tech in that timespan. Their biggest win of the season came against the Trailblazers on Saturday at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Utah Tech led 51-49 going into the final stanza, but a 19-point fourth quarter by Burks-Wiley's squad capped off 2023 with a win.
Florida International holds a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series against Jax State. The Gamecocks' lone triumph was a 65-62 win at home on Jan. 16, 1997, when both teams were members of the ASUN Conference. The Panthers are 3-0 against Jacksonville State in Miami and won the last showdown, 79-52, in the Dec. 2011 Lady Osprey Holiday Classic.
"This is conference season, so it's a different season," Pietri said. "Since it's within your conference, there's a higher value to what you're doing. We've had a couple good days of practice, and I think the intentions are right moving forward."
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will have the call on 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.
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