BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A poor third period spelled doom for Jacksonville State women's basketball in Saturday's 54-45 loss at Western Kentucky. The Red-and-White were outscored 19-9 in the third quarter and could not overcome a double-digit deficit, bringing an end to their three-game winning streak.
Two stingy defenses stood out in the opening period. The Gamecocks (9-13, 4-6) converted just four field goals in the first ten minutes, but a trio of threes helped them stay within arm's length of the Lady Toppers (15-10, 6-4). WKU claimed a five-point advantage and Jax State battled back to tie it at 11, but a last-second bucket helped the home team to a 13-11 lead through one. Offensive woes carried over into the following quarter. Jacksonville State started the frame 0-for-10 from the field before a couple of late baskets- including a trey from
Rachel Johnson- cut the deficit to two, 24-22, at the break.
Western Kentucky was able to generate some separation in the third period. Their shots began to fall, creating as much as a 12-point difference in the interval. The Gamecocks trailed 43-31 going into the fourth and could not climb out of the hole, falling 54-45 in their first ever showdown at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Jaz Spencer had 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting with three three-pointers and
Kristol Ayson ended up with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.
Asia Barclay totaled a game-high ten boards and
Mya Barnes blocked three WKU shot attempts.
The Gamecocks shot just 14-of-52 (26.9%) from the field and 6-of-28 (21.4%) from beyond the arc. They actually out-rebounded a much taller Lady Topper squad, 44-36, but committed 23 turnovers in the road defeat.
The Gamecocks return home next week for a lone Conference USA pairing on Thursday evening. They will welcome Louisiana Tech to Pete Mathews Coliseum for the first time in program history. That game, which will serve as the return matchup after their showdown in Ruston, La., on Jan. 20, will tip off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and it will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Gamecock Sports Network.
Links to listen, watch, or follow along with live stats for that game 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.
