JACKSONVILLE – Middle Tennessee downed Jacksonville State Saturday afternoon 69-35 at the Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Gamecocks were not able to shoot the ball effectively against the Blue Raiders' defense as they made only 21.8% of their shots and two three-pointers.
 
Maria Sanchez Ponce played 35 minutes and scored a team-high 12 points on a solid 4-6 field goal attempts. Ponce also had a steal. Bre'Anna Rhodes had eight points, a team-best seven rebounds, and a block.
 
Middle Tennessee's defense stymied the Jax State offensive attack from the start of the game. The Blue Raiders held the Gamecocks to only one field goal in the opening quarter. Jax State trailed Middle Tennessee 4-14 at the end of the first.
 
Jax State continued to struggle in the second quarter. While the offense was able to score 11 points in the period, the defense gave up 16 to the Blue Raiders. The Gamecocks trailed 15-30 as the teams hit the locker rooms for the halftime break.
 
Offensively, Jax State found better production in the third quarter. The Gamecocks shot 37.5% of the field and shot 33.3% from beyond the arc. However, Middle Tennessee got hot in the quarter as well as they shot 56.25% from the field and went a perfect 2-2 from three. The score heading into the fourth quarter was 54-28 in favor of Middle Tennessee.
 
The fourth quarter was more similar to how the first half was played as Jax State's shooting woes picked up again. The Gamecocks made only two field goals in the final period. On the other side of the ball, Middle Tennessee shot it well again as they made 42.86% of their field goals.
 
The Gamecocks will travel to Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Jan. 16, for their first CUSA road game of the season. The Gamecocks will then travel to Sam Houston on Saturday, Jan. 18.
 
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