BOWLING GREEN, KY. – Jacksonville State women's basketball lost their fourth straight game at Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon in overtime. The Hilltoppers took the win 68-64 at the E.A. Diddle Arena.
 
Maria Sanchez Ponce set new career highs with 20 points and nine rebounds for the Gamecocks (9-13, 3-8 CUSA) against the Hilltoppers (17-6, 8-3 CUSA). Mya Barnes joined Ponce in double-digits with 14 points. Both Ponce and Barnes hit 5-11 shots from the field. Barnes made 4-8 three-pointers, while Ponce made 2-6, respectively. Bre'Anna Rhodes led the squad in rebounds, pulling down 10 to compliment her six points.
 
As a team, the Gamecocks shot the ball from deep making 40% of their attempts. Jax State also outrebounded the Hilltoppers 40 to 34. The difference in the game came down to turnovers as Jax State had 24 turnovers compared to 16 from WKU.
 
The game was tied at eight at the media timeout in the first quarter, but the score turned in favor of WKU after a 7-0 run put them ahead 15-8 with 59 seconds in the period. Jax State was able to cut it to 16-11 thanks to a pair of Ponce free throws. WKU hit a free throw with 14 seconds left to make it 17-11 Hilltoppers heading to the second.
 
In the second, the Hilltoppers got up 22-18 before Ponce knocked down a three to cut it to one. WKU made it 25-21, but Rhodes' shot in the paint made it 25-23 heading into the quarter's media timeout. A pair of free throws late in the second put WKU up three. Valentina Saric drained a three pointer with 10 seconds left in the first half to tie it at 29-29 heading into halftime.
 
Ponce made a layup out of the break to put the Gamecocks ahead 31-29. WKU regained the lead 33-31 at the midway point of the third. Out of the media timeout, the Hilltoppers got up 40-31, but a 10-0 run by Jax State capped off by a Ponce three made it 41-41 with under a minute left in the quarter. WKU's Acacia Hayes hit a layup to make it 43-41 before another Saric three put the Gamecocks up 44-43 heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
 
Clara Gonzalez Planella drilled a three to give Jax State a 47-43 advantage early in the fourth. WKU went on a 10-0 run to give them a 53-47 lead with 3:24 on the clock. Planella knocked down another three to make it 53-50 with 3:07 left. Late in the quarter, Ponce made a layup to give the Gamecocks a 56-55 lead with 43 seconds remaining. WKU's Destiny Salary hit a free throw with seven seconds on the clock to tie the game at 56 apiece as the game headed to overtime.
 
Barnes opened overtime with a made three to put Jax State up 59-56. WKU tied it with a three of their own before Rhodes knocked down a pair of free throws to regain the lead for the Gamecocks at 61-59. Back-to-back buckets by the Hilltoppers put them back in front by four with 52 seconds remaining. After a Salary made free throw, Barnes found the bottom of the net on another three to make it 66-64 Hilltoppers with 16 seconds left. WKU's Alexis Mead hit two free throws to seal the game at 68-64 with eight seconds left on the clock.
 
Planella scored seven points and had five rebounds. Elsie Harris had a team-best four assists and added six points, respectively.
 
The Gamecocks will return home on Thursday, Feb. 13, to take on Sam Houston. The game against the Bearkats is set for a 6:30 p.m. start. Tickets can be found at JaxStateSports.com, ESPN+ will be streaming the game, and live stats will be available also at JaxStateSports.com.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.