Saturday, March 9
JACKSONVILLE
2 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Sam Houston
Jacksonville State Set for Senior Day on Saturday
3/8/2024 2:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's basketball wraps up the regular season at home on Saturday. The Gamecocks welcome Sam Houston to Pete Mathews Coliseum for a Senior Day clash with massive tournament seeding implications.
"We have to approach this game with the appropriate level of urgency," head coach Rick Pietri said. "For anyone to assume that just by looking at the records that the outcome of the game has been determined is a completely fallacy. We struggled with these guys at their place and they will do everything they can to make us struggle with them here. They had us down 13 at their place so we have to have the right focus and the right energy to give ourselves the best chance to win."
Jax State (11-16, 6-9) has faced adversity at times this season but is playing some of its best basketball right now and enters the weekend winners of two of their last three contests. After scoring a dominant 80-63 win over second-place Florida International on Feb. 24, the Red-and-White split last week's pairings out west. Shooting woes weighed heavy in a 70-48 setback at UTEP on Thursday, but fortunately the team was able to respond with a 60-51 win at New Mexico State on Saturday. As they return home, Pietri's group looks to send off their three seniors- Keiara Griffin, Rachel Johnson, and Madison McCoy- with one last victory at home.
"Madison has clearly emerged as a tremendous leader in our program and has given us the best basketball version of herself," Pietri said. "Rachel has given us a lot, coming here with one year of eligibility left. She's provided great energy and competitiveness and has been a difference maker for us. Unfortunately, Keiara's year was court short, so we didn't get to see the best version of her on the court."
As has been the case for much of the year, junior forward Bre'Anna Rhodes is the team's leader in scoring (8.1 points per game) and rebounding (4.6 rebounds per game). Kristol Ayson (7.8 ppg) and Johnson (6.1 ppg) are just behind her on offensive while Asia Barclay (4.2 rpg) and Mya Barnes (4.1 rpg) narrowly trail her rebounding efforts.
The Gamecocks shocked the Bearkats (7-20, 2-13) in the first meeting this year. Sam Houston held a comfortable lead going into the final stanza, but a 25-point fourth quarter lifted the visitors to a 58-56 triumph in Huntsville, Texas. Barclay had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double and Barnes and Johnson tallied nine points each in the Lone Star State.
Since that home loss to Jacksonville State, SHSU has gone just 1-5 in Conference USA action. They lost their next two at FIU and Liberty in blowout fashion, then rebounded with a huge overtime win over NMSU on Feb. 22. However, losses to UTEP, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech have followed for the Bearkats, directly leading into Saturday's matchup in Calhoun County.
Shanti Henry, who averages just over seven points per game, had a career outing in the first showdown after finishing with 17 points at Johnson Coliseum. The team's leading scorer is Sydnee Kemp, who scores 11.2 points per game, but Kaylee Jefferson (11.1 ppg) and Raanee Smith (9.8 ppg) have also produced well this year. Smith, who has pulled down 9.8 boards per contest, is one of the best rebounders in CUSA as well.
As we enter the final couple days of the regular season, there is a logjam at the middle of the Conference USA women's basketball standings. Jax State's 6-9 mark is currently tied for fifth with Western Kentucky, but just 1.5 games separate fourth place and eighth place in the league. And, as Saturday nears, everyone is simply looking to avoid the first-round play-in game that would pit the eight-seed and nine-seed against each other on Tuesday night, with the winner set to face first-place Middle Tennessee the next morning. A win at The Pete on Saturday would ensure at least a top-seven finish for Jacksonville State.
Though Saturday's meeting marks just the second all-time between the Gamecocks and Bearkats, Pietri comes in 3-1 in his career versus Sam Houston. His 2007-08 and 2012-13 South Alabama teams topped SHSU in Mobile and his 2011-12 squad lost, 53-50, to them in Texas.
In addition, Jax State will look to keep up an impressive mark on Senior Day under Pietri. The team's record in such games under his leadership is 6-4. FGCU crushed the Gamecocks in last year's Senior Day pairing, but prior to that Jacksonville State had won its last four Senior Day matchups.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ray Hammett and Mickey Shadrix on the call, 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.
"We have to approach this game with the appropriate level of urgency," head coach Rick Pietri said. "For anyone to assume that just by looking at the records that the outcome of the game has been determined is a completely fallacy. We struggled with these guys at their place and they will do everything they can to make us struggle with them here. They had us down 13 at their place so we have to have the right focus and the right energy to give ourselves the best chance to win."
Jax State (11-16, 6-9) has faced adversity at times this season but is playing some of its best basketball right now and enters the weekend winners of two of their last three contests. After scoring a dominant 80-63 win over second-place Florida International on Feb. 24, the Red-and-White split last week's pairings out west. Shooting woes weighed heavy in a 70-48 setback at UTEP on Thursday, but fortunately the team was able to respond with a 60-51 win at New Mexico State on Saturday. As they return home, Pietri's group looks to send off their three seniors- Keiara Griffin, Rachel Johnson, and Madison McCoy- with one last victory at home.
"Madison has clearly emerged as a tremendous leader in our program and has given us the best basketball version of herself," Pietri said. "Rachel has given us a lot, coming here with one year of eligibility left. She's provided great energy and competitiveness and has been a difference maker for us. Unfortunately, Keiara's year was court short, so we didn't get to see the best version of her on the court."
As has been the case for much of the year, junior forward Bre'Anna Rhodes is the team's leader in scoring (8.1 points per game) and rebounding (4.6 rebounds per game). Kristol Ayson (7.8 ppg) and Johnson (6.1 ppg) are just behind her on offensive while Asia Barclay (4.2 rpg) and Mya Barnes (4.1 rpg) narrowly trail her rebounding efforts.
The Gamecocks shocked the Bearkats (7-20, 2-13) in the first meeting this year. Sam Houston held a comfortable lead going into the final stanza, but a 25-point fourth quarter lifted the visitors to a 58-56 triumph in Huntsville, Texas. Barclay had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double and Barnes and Johnson tallied nine points each in the Lone Star State.
Since that home loss to Jacksonville State, SHSU has gone just 1-5 in Conference USA action. They lost their next two at FIU and Liberty in blowout fashion, then rebounded with a huge overtime win over NMSU on Feb. 22. However, losses to UTEP, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech have followed for the Bearkats, directly leading into Saturday's matchup in Calhoun County.
Shanti Henry, who averages just over seven points per game, had a career outing in the first showdown after finishing with 17 points at Johnson Coliseum. The team's leading scorer is Sydnee Kemp, who scores 11.2 points per game, but Kaylee Jefferson (11.1 ppg) and Raanee Smith (9.8 ppg) have also produced well this year. Smith, who has pulled down 9.8 boards per contest, is one of the best rebounders in CUSA as well.
As we enter the final couple days of the regular season, there is a logjam at the middle of the Conference USA women's basketball standings. Jax State's 6-9 mark is currently tied for fifth with Western Kentucky, but just 1.5 games separate fourth place and eighth place in the league. And, as Saturday nears, everyone is simply looking to avoid the first-round play-in game that would pit the eight-seed and nine-seed against each other on Tuesday night, with the winner set to face first-place Middle Tennessee the next morning. A win at The Pete on Saturday would ensure at least a top-seven finish for Jacksonville State.
Though Saturday's meeting marks just the second all-time between the Gamecocks and Bearkats, Pietri comes in 3-1 in his career versus Sam Houston. His 2007-08 and 2012-13 South Alabama teams topped SHSU in Mobile and his 2011-12 squad lost, 53-50, to them in Texas.
In addition, Jax State will look to keep up an impressive mark on Senior Day under Pietri. The team's record in such games under his leadership is 6-4. FGCU crushed the Gamecocks in last year's Senior Day pairing, but prior to that Jacksonville State had won its last four Senior Day matchups.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ray Hammett and Mickey Shadrix on the call, 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.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
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