JACKSONVILLE – Women's basketball begins their final home stand of the 2024-25 season Thursday night with a matchup against the Liberty flames. The game between the Flames and the Gamecocks will mark the seventh time the teams have faced one another.
Jax State (10-16, 4-11 CUSA) vs Liberty (19-6, 12-2 CUSA)
When: Thursday, Feb. 27 | 6:30 P.M.
Where: Pete Mathews Coliseum | Jacksonville, Ala.
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Watch: ESPN+ (Eli Gold, Ray Hammett)
Listen: YouTube (
Donnie Smith)
Tickets: Click Here
Jax State Notes |
Liberty Notes
Last Time Out
The Gamecocks lost 52-44 at UTEP on Saturday, Feb. 22 to conclude their western road trip.
Clara Gonzalez Planella led Jax State with 10 points to mark her second-straight double-digit scoring game after a 16-point outing on Thursday, Feb. 20, at New Mexico State. The Gamecocks took a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter thanks to a 10-0 run, but momentum shifted back in favor of UTEP after a timeout when they took a 47-44 advantage and never gave the lead back to Jax State.
Series History
Jax State and Liberty's seventh meeting all-time will be Thursday at the Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Flames hold a 4-2 record over the Gamecocks in their previous six meetings. The first game between the teams came on Jan. 29, 2022, when Liberty won 62-57 at Liberty Arena. Most recently, Liberty defeated Jax State at Liberty Arena 62-53 on Feb. 1, 2025. The Gamecocks' two wins both came at the Pete. On March 9, 2022, in the ASUN Conference Tournament Semifinals, Jax State downed Liberty 59-57 on a buzzer-beating layup to advance to the ASUN Tournament Championship. Jax State also beat Liberty last season on Jan. 10, 2024, at home 78-63.
Thus far, the away team has to come out victorious in the six prior meetings between Jax State and the Flames.
Clara's Late Season Surge
Planella had back-to-back double-digit scoring outings against New Mexico State and UTEP last weekend. Planella poured in team-highs of 16 against the Aggies and 10 against UTEP. The two double-figure scoring games were two of nine total games with at least 10 or more points. Planella has been a consistent go-to scorer in league play for Jax State averaging 9.0 points against CUSA opponents. She is averaging 8.0 points on the year in 20.9 minutes played per game.
On the Leaderboards
Mya Barnes is fourth in the CUSA in total number of blocks and average blocks per game. Barnes has 31 blocks on the year for an average of 1.2 per game. She also has 32 steals for an average of 1.2 takeaways per game, ranking 24
th in the league.
Samiya Steele is tied for eighth in the conference in assists with 64 dimes this season and an average of 2.7 assists per game.
Elsie Harris is tied for 11
th in assists per game averaging 2.4. Harris has 62 total assists.
Shooters Shoot
Jax State is first in the CUSA in total threes and average threes made per game. The Red-and-White have knocked down 212 threes for an average of 8.2 threes made per game.
Valentina Saric leads the way with 47 made threes, Barnes is second with 40, Planella is next with 35,
Maria Sanchez Ponce has 23, and
Shaquice May has 20.
Nothing Easy
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 26.1% 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.
Scouting the Flames
Liberty currently sits firmly in second place in the CUSA standings as the regular season nears the end. Bella Smuda paces the Flames averaging 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Emma Hess follows closely in scoring averaging 10.1 points per contest. Last season's freshman of the year, Asia Boone, has been great again for the Flames averaging 9.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. Jordan Hodges runs the show at point guard with 62 assists this season. Hess is right behind Hodges with 58 assists.
Liberty is riding a four-game winning streak heading into the game against Jax State. The Flames most recently beat Florida International 73-57 at FIU's place on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Up Next
Jax State will face Florida International on Saturday, March 1, in the team's final home game of the season. The game against FIU is set for a 2:30 p.m. start and will be Senior Day. The game will be streaming on ESPN+, live stats will be available at JaxStateSports.com, and tickets can be found at JaxStateSports.com as well.
Stat 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.
