JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's basketball lost 71-55 Thursday evening to the Liberty Flames. The Gamecocks shot it well from beyond the arc at 38.5%, but Liberty was able to knock down 47.4% from three-point range.
 
Jax State fell to 10-17 and 4-12 in Conference USA, while Liberty improved to 20-6 and 13-2 in the league.
 
Maria Sanchez Ponce had a 14-point outing after missing two games due to injury last week. Ponce scored her 14 points on an efficient 4-7 shooting and 2-4 from three. Ponce also led the Gamecocks in rebounds with eight boards. Clara Gonzalez Planella had the next best scoring night with 10 points.
 
Planella and Ponce hit back-to-back threes early in the first to make it 6-2 at the 7:45 mark. By the media break, Liberty had tied the game at 9-9. Ponce made it 11-9 after the media break, but Liberty went on a 7-0 late first before Jax State made it 18-15 at the end of the first.
 
Bre'Anna Rhodes made it 23-17 with 7:19 in the second. Mya Barnes then knocked down a three with 5:21 in the first half to make it 25-20. At the media break, Liberty made it 27-20. With 1:15 Ponce made a pair of free throws to make it 33-27. Barclay then made a jumper at the buzzer to cut the Liberty lead to 36-29 at the half.
 
Barnes finished the game with nine points and five rebounds.
 
Liberty went on a quick 5-0 run out of the break to go up 41-29 to force a Jax State timeout. Ponce and Ponce later made it a 43-35 game with 5:54 left in the third. The Flames made it a 10-point advantage at the under five media timeout. The Gamecocks made it an eight-point game thanks to a Shaquice May three, but Liberty made a basket to put them back in front by 10 at the end of the third.
 
Valentina Saric cut it to seven with one of her two made threes to open the fourth, but Liberty answered with a 6-0 scoring run to extend their advantage to 56-43. Saric hit her second three to make it 10 again before another scoring run by the Flames put them ahead 64-46 midway through the final period. By the end of the game, the Gamecocks could never cut it to within 10 again.
 
Jax State moves on to face Florida International Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Prio to the game, Jax State's five seniors will be honored for their time in the program. Fans can stream the game on ESPN+, live stats will be available at JaxStateSports.com, and tickets are available at JaxStateSports.com as well.
 
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