Thursday, February 13
JACKSONVILLE
6:30 PM
Jacksonville State University
vs
Sam Houston
Women's Basketball hosts Sam Houston in a Pink Out Thursday
2/12/2025 1:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Gamecocks women's basketball returns to the Pete Mathews Coliseum Thursday to face Sam Houston after a four-game road swing. The game against the Bearkats will be a rematch from earlier in the conference season and will be the first of two pink out games this week.
Jax State (9-13, 3-8 CUSA) vs Sam Houston (10-11, 3-8 CUSA)
When: Thursday, Feb. 13 | 6:30 P.M.
Where: Pete Mathews Coliseum | Jacksonville, Ala.
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Watch: ESPN+ (Eli Gold, Mickey Shadrix)
Listen: YouTube (Donnie Smith)
Tickets: Click Here
Jax State Notes | Sam Houston Notes
Last Time Out
Jax State fell 69-64 at Western Kentucky on Feb. 8 in overtime. Valentina Saric knocked down a three with 10 seconds to go in the first half to tie the game at 29 at the halftime intermission. Saric hit another three at the end of the third to put the Gamecocks up 44-43 heading to the fourth. After a tie at 56 at the end of regulation, the Hilltoppers went on to clinch the win 68-64 in overtime.
Series History
The Gamecocks hold a 2-1 all-time record over Sam Houston. The first matchup between the squads was a 58-56 Jax State victory on Feb. 8, 2024. Most recently, Sam Houston defeated Jax State at home on Jan. 18, 2025, in a 53-48 final. Jax State's other win in the series came on March 9, 2024, in a 74-70 overtime win at the Pete last season.
Career Day
In the loss at Western Kentucky, Maria Sanchez Ponce had a career day in both points and rebounds. Ponce scored 20 points for the Red-and-White and pulled down nine rebounds. The Junior forward from Spain shot 5-11 from the field, hit two threes, and was 8-10 from the free throw line. Ponce added a steal to her stat line as well.
More Standouts
Against the Hilltoppers, Mya Barnes joined Ponce in double-figures with 14 points. Barnes scored most of her points from beyond the arc as she went 4-8 from three. Bre'Anna Rhodes pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds against WKU. On Feb. 6, against Middle Tennessee, Clara Gonzalez Planella had a stellar game with 17 points on 5-9 shooting off the bench.
Defensive Prowess
The Gamecocks rank fourth in the CUSA in opponent field goal percentage as they allow 39.6% of opponent's shots to fall. Jax State's three-point defense is even better as they allow 25.3% of three-point attempts to find the bottom of the net. Their three-point defense ranks first in the league. Finally, Jax State allows 59.4 points per game, ranking second in the league in fewest points allowed per contest.
On the Leaderboard
Barnes sits at fourth in the conference in total blocks this season and average blocks per game. She has 29 blocks for an average of 1.4 per game. Meanwhile, Samiya Steele is tied for eighth in CUSA with an average of 2.7 assists per game. Steele has 59 assists total this season, which also ranks eighth.
Scouting the Bearkats
Kaila Kelley leads the Bearkats in average points per game this season at 12.5 per contest. She is followed closely by Deborah Ogayemei who is averaging 11.4 points per game but has the most total points this season with 217 compared to Kelley's 163. Sam Houston has quality rebounders on their squad as four of their players average over five boards a game. Ogayemi leads the way averaging 7.7 rebounds per game. The Bearkats also have the conference assist leader, Fanta Kone, who averages 4.9 dimes per game with 103 total this season.
The Bearkats are coming off a home split last week where they defeated Florida International 66-54 on Feb. 6 before losing to Liberty 74-54 two days later. The Gamecocks and Bearkats are currently tied for seventh in the league with Sam Houston holding the tiebreaker.
Up Next
Following the home game against Sam Houston, the Gamecocks move on to host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Feb. 15. The game against the Lady Techsters will be a pink out, as will the game against Sam Houston on Thursday.
Stay in the Know
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
Jax State (9-13, 3-8 CUSA) vs Sam Houston (10-11, 3-8 CUSA)
When: Thursday, Feb. 13 | 6:30 P.M.
Where: Pete Mathews Coliseum | Jacksonville, Ala.
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Watch: ESPN+ (Eli Gold, Mickey Shadrix)
Listen: YouTube (Donnie Smith)
Tickets: Click Here
Jax State Notes | Sam Houston Notes
Last Time Out
Jax State fell 69-64 at Western Kentucky on Feb. 8 in overtime. Valentina Saric knocked down a three with 10 seconds to go in the first half to tie the game at 29 at the halftime intermission. Saric hit another three at the end of the third to put the Gamecocks up 44-43 heading to the fourth. After a tie at 56 at the end of regulation, the Hilltoppers went on to clinch the win 68-64 in overtime.
Series History
The Gamecocks hold a 2-1 all-time record over Sam Houston. The first matchup between the squads was a 58-56 Jax State victory on Feb. 8, 2024. Most recently, Sam Houston defeated Jax State at home on Jan. 18, 2025, in a 53-48 final. Jax State's other win in the series came on March 9, 2024, in a 74-70 overtime win at the Pete last season.
Career Day
In the loss at Western Kentucky, Maria Sanchez Ponce had a career day in both points and rebounds. Ponce scored 20 points for the Red-and-White and pulled down nine rebounds. The Junior forward from Spain shot 5-11 from the field, hit two threes, and was 8-10 from the free throw line. Ponce added a steal to her stat line as well.
More Standouts
Against the Hilltoppers, Mya Barnes joined Ponce in double-figures with 14 points. Barnes scored most of her points from beyond the arc as she went 4-8 from three. Bre'Anna Rhodes pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds against WKU. On Feb. 6, against Middle Tennessee, Clara Gonzalez Planella had a stellar game with 17 points on 5-9 shooting off the bench.
Defensive Prowess
The Gamecocks rank fourth in the CUSA in opponent field goal percentage as they allow 39.6% of opponent's shots to fall. Jax State's three-point defense is even better as they allow 25.3% of three-point attempts to find the bottom of the net. Their three-point defense ranks first in the league. Finally, Jax State allows 59.4 points per game, ranking second in the league in fewest points allowed per contest.
On the Leaderboard
Barnes sits at fourth in the conference in total blocks this season and average blocks per game. She has 29 blocks for an average of 1.4 per game. Meanwhile, Samiya Steele is tied for eighth in CUSA with an average of 2.7 assists per game. Steele has 59 assists total this season, which also ranks eighth.
Scouting the Bearkats
Kaila Kelley leads the Bearkats in average points per game this season at 12.5 per contest. She is followed closely by Deborah Ogayemei who is averaging 11.4 points per game but has the most total points this season with 217 compared to Kelley's 163. Sam Houston has quality rebounders on their squad as four of their players average over five boards a game. Ogayemi leads the way averaging 7.7 rebounds per game. The Bearkats also have the conference assist leader, Fanta Kone, who averages 4.9 dimes per game with 103 total this season.
The Bearkats are coming off a home split last week where they defeated Florida International 66-54 on Feb. 6 before losing to Liberty 74-54 two days later. The Gamecocks and Bearkats are currently tied for seventh in the league with Sam Houston holding the tiebreaker.
Up Next
Following the home game against Sam Houston, the Gamecocks move on to host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Feb. 15. The game against the Lady Techsters will be a pink out, as will the game against Sam Houston on Thursday.
Stay in the Know
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
G
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Forward
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
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