HUNTSVILLE, Texas – A big fourth period propelled Jacksonville State's women's basketball squad to a 58-56 victory in Thursday's Conference USA contest at Sam Houston. The Gamecocks scored 25 points in the last quarter, completing a double-digit comeback for the ages and posting their third straight win in the process.
 
"Our kids deserve a tremendous amount of credit for what they were able to accomplish in the fourth quarter," head coach Rick Pietri said. "To that point, Sam Houston had played with more energy. In the fourth quarter we brought more energy than them, and that's why the final result ended up being what it was."
 
The Jax State (9-12, 4-5) defense shined early on. After an early basket by Sam Houston (6-15, 1-8), the Gamecocks settled in and proceeded to hold the home team without a field goal for nearly six minutes of game action. That helped the Red-and-White go on a 9-0 run, building an 18-12 lead through one period of play. The first half was a tail of two periods, however, as the same struggles affected Jacksonville State the following interval. A rejuvenated Bearkat team held the visitors without a bucket for over seven minutes, clawing back to retake the advantage late. Mya Barnes beat the buzzer with a three to keep Jax State on top at the break, though, 28-26. 
 
Sam Houston kept their foot on the accelerator to open the second half. A 15-0 run to start built a commanding lead, creating a 10-point difference going into the final stanza. Jacksonville State woke up in the last period, scoring 25 points and taking the lead thanks to a late trey from Barnes. Solid defense down the stretch secured the team's fourth CUSA win and kept the win streak alive at three with a 58-56 triumph.
 
"(In the third period) I was thinking we weren't in very good shape," Pietri said. "But I'll give our kids a ton of credit. They fought like hell in the last quarter and just battled. We started to make some baskets, and then we started to make some stops. I think their kids got a little bit tight because some of the shots they were taking that were going in earlier all of a sudden weren't going in."
 
Asia Barclay tallied her second career double-double, finishing with ten points and ten rebounds. Barnes and Rachel Johnson added nine points a-piece while Jaz Spencer ended up with eight points in the win.
 
Jax State, who shot 10-of-18 in the final period, out-rebounded SHSU 36-34 and out-shot them from the field, 38.6% to 34.0%. In addition, they scored 16 points off 24 turnovers and totaled 40 bench points, 34 points in the paint, 11 second chance points, and ten fast break points. 
 
The Gamecocks head to Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday afternoon for another CUSA test at Western Kentucky. That game will tip off at 2 p.m. Saturday 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.