JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's basketball lost 74-72 at home to Florida International Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks had a chance at the end of the game to tie it, but the ball rimmed out as the buzzer sounded to grant the Panthers the victory.
Jax State is now 10-18 on the year and 4-13 in Conference USA, while FIU improves to 11-16 and 7-9 in the conference.
Jax State had three stellar performances from
Maria Sanchez Ponce,
Bre'Anna Rhodes, and
Clara Gonzalez Planella. Ponce tied a career-high with 20 points against the Panthers. Rhodes had 15 points on an efficient 5-8 from the field, while Planella scored 13 points and hit three of her six three-point attempts.
Elsie Harris led the Gamecocks in rebounds with five and assists with six.
Planella got the first bucket of the game for the Gamecocks with a layup to make it 2-2 early.
Asia Barclay later knocked down a jump shot to make it 8-6 in favor of FIU. Barclay then made a putback layup to make it 10-8 before Ponce hit a layup to tie the ballgame at 10-10 at the media break in the first. The Gamecocks went on a 7-0 run to get in front 22-13 with just over two minutes left in the first period. FIU made a three late in the quarter to make it 23-18 heading into the second quarter.
In the second, got back in front 28-27 with 6:50 on the clock. The Panthers extended their advantage to four after a basket, but Ponce answered with a two-point shot to cut it to 31-29. Later in the second, Planella drained a three to make it 36-32 FIU. Ponce made a three with 1:23 left in the first half to make it 38-37 before the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime.
Out of the break, Ponce got the Gamecocks going with a layup and help the Red-and-White regain the lead at 39-38. The teams traded buckets, but Jax State was able to hold a 47-46 advantage at the media timeout in the third. Harris hit a three to put the Gamecocks back in front, but FIU responded with a made three of their own to make it 52-52 at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was another back-and-forth affair. Jax State got up 62-57 thanks to a Planella three with 5:46 in regulation. Out of the media timeout, FIU hit two free throws to make it 62-59 Gamecocks. Ponce hit a layup with 2:44 left in the game to make it 67-62 Jax State. FIU then went on a 10-0 run to put them back ahead 72-67 with 26 seconds left. Planella knocked down a three to cut FIU's advantage to 72-70 with 19 seconds remaining.
Rhodes stole an inbounds pass from the Panthers and drove the length of the floor for a layup to tie the game at 72 all with 13 seconds on the clock. A layup by FIU with just a few seconds remaining put them ahead 74-72. Jax State had a look at the final horn, but the shot did not fall.
The Gamecocks will conclude the regular season with a road game at Kennesaw State on Saturday, March 8 at 1 p.m. central. The game will be streaming live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available 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.
