JACKSONVILLE – Jax State guard
Adriana Jones tallied a career high 26 points on Thursday night, but the Gamecocks were unable to overcome a 24-13 turnover margin in a 67-61 loss to Southern Miss at Pete Mathews Coliseum
Jones fired an impressive 9-for-15 from the field, including a 4-for-7 mark from three on the way to becoming the game's leading scorer. Jones is the first Gamecock with at least 26 points in a game since Kennedy Gavin managed 27 against Kennesaw State in the 2022-23 season.
Southern Miss (4-0) jumped ahead early in the non-conference battle, taking a 7-0 lead before Jax State (1-2) managed to erase the deficit and tie the game at 11 apiece.
After a tie at 13-all, Jax State took a lead on a Jones three-pointer with 2:33 left in the first quarter, and would hold the lead for the next 14 minutes of game action.
After leading 18-15 at the end of the first quarter, Jax State outscored USM 15-12 in the second quarter to take a 33-27 lead into the halftime break. Jones led the way with 12 in the first half, while
Mya Barnes and Vitoria Carvalho added five points each.
The Lady Eagles claimed the lead at 34-33 in the third quarter and after trading shots over the next few possessions, gained the lead 42-41 with 4:40 left in the third quarter and would not relinquish the lead for the final 14:40 of action.
Southern Miss led 51-45 heading into the fourth quarter and held off a late Gamecock push to take home a road victory, 67-61.
Barnes finished the game in double figures with 12 points, knocking down a trio of triples while Carvalho led the team with 10 boards.
Jax State out-rebounded Southern Miss 44-35 and held the advantage in field goal percentage, knocking down 41.5% its field goals to USM's 39.0%. Southern Miss capitalized on Jax State's 24 turnovers, outscoring Jax State 21-11 on points off of turnovers.
Makala Hobdy was Jax State's leading playmaker with five assists, also adding seven points and seven rebounds.
Jax State returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 16 with a 1 p.m. tipoff at Georgia.
