CLINTON, S.C. – Jax State women's basketball dominated the paint Sunday afternoon against Presbyterian to end non-conference play with a 74-39 road win.
 
The Gamecocks (6-6) outscored the Blue Hose (2-11) 44-18 in the paint. The Gamecocks controlled the game from the start outscoring Presbyterian 19-12 in the first quarter, 16-8 in the second, 25-7 in the third, and 14-12 in the fourth.
 
Jax State never lost the lead following a Brooklyn McDaniel made free-throw with 9:18 in the first quarter. A 6-0 run by Presbyterian with 3:10 left in the first quarter made it 12-11 in favor of the Red-and-White, but a 7-1 run highlighted by a buzzer-beating layup by Mya Barnes ended the first quarter with Jax State ahead by seven.
 
Makala Hobdy led a balanced offensive attack with 15 points. Kyera Thornsbury followed with 14 points, while Barnes had her third double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds. All eight Gamecocks who played against the Blue Hose scored. Hobdy added seven rebounds, while Thornsbury led the Gamecocks with four assists.
 
Jax State shot an impressive 29-of-54 from the floor and 6-of-17 from beyond the arc. The Gamecocks also had 14 second chance points compared to Presbyterian's four, and 27 bench points to Presbyterian's nine.
 
Jax State's best scoring run was a 22-0 run capped by a Hobdy three to give Jax State their largest lead of the game at 66-27. The Gamecocks' defense held the Blue Hose to only 12 points for the remainder of the game to clinch the 35-point victory.
 
Jax State pulled away in the second quarter thanks to a 6-0 run around the midway point of the period. Thornsbury had a team-best 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting heading into the halftime intermission. Barnes had eight points and seven rebounds, while Hobdy had seven points.
 
Maria Sanchez-Ponce returned from injury for her first action on court in five games. Sanchez-Ponce scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting, pulled in three rebounds, blocked a shot, and tallied an assist in over 18 minutes of action.
 
The Gamecocks' defense held Presbyterian to 16-of-53 shooting from the floor and only 3-of-16 shooting from three.
 
Aretha Linger led the Blue Hose with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
 
Jax State returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Jan. 2 to take on Western Kentucky in the Conference USA opener for both teams. The conference play opener is set for a 6:30 p.m. tip.
 
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