Thursday, February 8
Huntsville, TX
6:30 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
at
Sam Houston
Gamecocks Open Road Trip at Sam Houston
2/7/2024 7:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – After picking up a pair of huge wins in Conference USA play last week, Gamecock women's basketball hits the road this week in search of its third victory in a row. Thursday's league matchup at Sam Houston will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. in the Lone Star State and will serve as the first of two pairings between the new CUSA programs this season.
Jacksonville State (8-12, 3-5) successfully defended Pete Mathews Coliseum their last time out, defeating UTEP 70-62 on Thursday and New Mexico State 56-49 on Saturday. Mya Barnes and Madison McCoy set career-highs in scoring with 21 and 15 points respectively versus the Miners, and a smothering defensive performance highlighted their weekend triumph over the visiting Aggies. Now, though, Jax State will look to slow down a Sam Houston (6-14, 1-7) team that has competed well down the stretch.
Junior forward Bre'Anna Rhodes continues to lead the team's scoring (8.3 points per game) and rebounding (4.9 rebounds per game) efforts, but Kristol Ayson (7.8 ppg) and Barnes (6.2 ppg) are just behind her offensively. Barnes (4.5 rpg) has continued to crash the boards as well.
The Bearkats struggled against a tough non-conference slate, only posting three Division I wins against the likes of Florida A&M, Houston Christian, and Texas State. They started off 0-6 in Conference USA contests, albeit suffering narrow defeats left and right, before finally jumping that hurdle with an overtime win over Western Kentucky last Thursday. That 87-81 thriller at home was followed by a 71-65 setback against FIU on Saturday in which SHSU led in the final minutes yet again but simply could not close it out.
Sixth-year head coach Ravon Justice has created another solid offense in Huntsville, Texas, this season. Three Bearkats- Sydnee Kemp (11.4 ppg), Kaylee Jefferson (11.0 ppg), and Raanee Smith (10.1 ppg)- are in double figures scoring, and Smith is one of the league's top rebounders. The Colorado transfer comes into the game averaging 9.1 boards per contests.
The Gamecocks and Bearkats have never met on the hardwood before, but eleventh-year head coach Rick Pietri coached against Sam Houston three times during his tenure at South Alabama. His 2007-08 and 2012-13 squads beat them in Mobile, but the Jaguars fell at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum, 53-50, on Dec. 20, 2011, in his only previous road game against SHSU.
Thursday's game will be covered on ESPN+. Links to 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.
Jacksonville State (8-12, 3-5) successfully defended Pete Mathews Coliseum their last time out, defeating UTEP 70-62 on Thursday and New Mexico State 56-49 on Saturday. Mya Barnes and Madison McCoy set career-highs in scoring with 21 and 15 points respectively versus the Miners, and a smothering defensive performance highlighted their weekend triumph over the visiting Aggies. Now, though, Jax State will look to slow down a Sam Houston (6-14, 1-7) team that has competed well down the stretch.
Junior forward Bre'Anna Rhodes continues to lead the team's scoring (8.3 points per game) and rebounding (4.9 rebounds per game) efforts, but Kristol Ayson (7.8 ppg) and Barnes (6.2 ppg) are just behind her offensively. Barnes (4.5 rpg) has continued to crash the boards as well.
The Bearkats struggled against a tough non-conference slate, only posting three Division I wins against the likes of Florida A&M, Houston Christian, and Texas State. They started off 0-6 in Conference USA contests, albeit suffering narrow defeats left and right, before finally jumping that hurdle with an overtime win over Western Kentucky last Thursday. That 87-81 thriller at home was followed by a 71-65 setback against FIU on Saturday in which SHSU led in the final minutes yet again but simply could not close it out.
Sixth-year head coach Ravon Justice has created another solid offense in Huntsville, Texas, this season. Three Bearkats- Sydnee Kemp (11.4 ppg), Kaylee Jefferson (11.0 ppg), and Raanee Smith (10.1 ppg)- are in double figures scoring, and Smith is one of the league's top rebounders. The Colorado transfer comes into the game averaging 9.1 boards per contests.
The Gamecocks and Bearkats have never met on the hardwood before, but eleventh-year head coach Rick Pietri coached against Sam Houston three times during his tenure at South Alabama. His 2007-08 and 2012-13 squads beat them in Mobile, but the Jaguars fell at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum, 53-50, on Dec. 20, 2011, in his only previous road game against SHSU.
Thursday's game will be covered on ESPN+. Links to 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
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
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