ATHENS, Ga.—It was a promising start for Jax State in its non-conference game at Georgia Sunday afternoon.
Six first quarter turnovers by the Bulldogs led to eight points for the Gamecocks which led by a point after 10 minutes, but ultimately fell 76-51 to drop to 1-3 on the season.
Georgia got its offense going after three straight misses and a turnover to open the game with four consecutive makes during a 7-0 run in 1:36 to take an 11-4 lead at the 5:45 mark of the first. Maria Sanchez-Ponce narrowed the gap with a right wing 3-pointer, followed by one from
Eden Sample to get within a point with 2:50 left, fuel by three straight takeaways.
Sanchez-Ponce finished the game with a team-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting and had five rebounds off the bench.
A triple by
Mina Djurdjevic got Jax State back within a point with 1:32 left and a layup by
Brooklyn McDaniel with 33 seconds left put the Gamecocks on top for the first time at 17-16.
McDaniel had 12 points and three rebounds off the bench.
A three-point play at the 4:59 mark of the second gave the hosts a five-point lead at 29-24. The Bulldogs took control late in the quarter with an 8-0 run, holding Jax State scoreless for 3:52 to go up 37-28, but a late jumper in the lane by
Mya Barnes made it 37-30 at the intermission.
Georgia committed just two turnovers in the second 10 minutes and the Gamecocks had five.
Jax State missed its first five shots out of the intermission and saw the Bulldogs push the advantage into double digits for the first time, taking a 43-30 lead with 6:54 left in the third to force a timeout.
After having the lead cut to eight, Georgia responded with a 9-0 run in a span of 1:56 to take a 54-39 with 1:39 left in the third, then took a 56-39 advantage into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Gamecocks went without a field goal for 4:11 as the Bulldogs opened the quarter on a 16-6 run, going up 72-45 at the 4:24 mark.
Georgia finished the game 47% from the field compared to 29% for Jax State. The game was tied six times and saw six lead changes.
The Gamecocks will be on the road again on Saturday when they take on New Orleans at 2 p.m.
