JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State opened the 2025 Conference USA schedule with a 68-56 win over rival Kennesaw State Saturday afternoon inside the Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Gamecocks grabbed the win thanks to a complete team effort, highlighted by dominate play in the post.
The Gamecocks were led by their three post players
Bre'Anna Rhodes,
Mya Barnes, and
Asia Barclay who all scored in double-digits. Rhodes led the way with a season-high 19 points on 7-12 shooting. Barnes followed with 15 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Barclay added 10 points and had a career-high six free throws made.
Jax State held a 17-11 advantage over the Owls after the first quarter. The Gamecocks shot an efficient 45.45% from the field and 40% from three-point range in the opening 10 minutes. Barnes scored seven of the 17 points in the quarter. Jax State's defense also was stout to begin the game as they gave up only five makes in the first and held Kennesaw to 0-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
In the second period, Jax State went cold shooting, and the Owls heated up. The Gamecocks only knocked down two of their field goal attempts and did not make a three. Meanwhile, Kennesaw made nearly 43% of their shots to gain a tight 28-26 lead at the halftime intermission. Rhodes led the way at the break for the Gamecocks with nine points.
The back-and-forth game continued into the third quarter as the two teams kept trading blows. Jax State's defense picked up once again as they held the Owls to 28.57% from the field. Even with the strong defense and 41.67% of shots falling for the Red-and-White, the Owls continued to hold a slim advantage as the quarter ended 43-41 in favor of Kennesaw.
In the fourth period however, everything went the way of Jax State. The Gamecocks caught fire as they knocked in 54.55% of their shots, made 60% of their threes, and shot 75% from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the defense of Jax State continued to ramp up as they held Kennesaw to 4-20 makes from the field and only 1-10 makes from three.
Samiya Steele was one of the many contributors to the win as she had eight points, four rebounds, and a team-high three assists.
Maria Sanchez Ponce, who got her first start in a Jax State uniform Saturday afternoon, had six points and six rebounds, respectively.
Jax State will continue their five-game home stand Thursday, Jan. 9, and Saturday, Jan. 11. The Gamecocks will take on CUSA foes Western Kentucky on Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and Middle Tennessee on Jan. 11 at 2:30 p.m.
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