HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – Jacksonville State women's basketball will take on Sam Houston in the opening round of the CUSA Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday, March 11. The game against the Bearkats is set for an 11:30 a.m. tip inside the VBC Propst Arena.
 
Jax State (10-19, 4-14 CUSA) vs Sam Houston (12-16, 5-13 CUSA)
When: Tuesday, March 11 | 11:30 A.M.
Where: VBC Propst Arena | Huntsville, Ala.
Watch: ESPN+ (Noah Frary, Kelley Deyo, Annie Corey)
Tickets: Click Here
Listen: Listen to all the action on the Gamecock Sports Network as "The Voice" Mike Parris returns behind the mic for his 42nd season calling play-by-play action of Gamecock Basketball. Anchor stations for the Gamecock Sports Network include 91.9 WLJS (Jacksonville), WVOK 97.9 (Anniston/Oxford), WKXX 102.9 (Attalla/Gadsden), 95.5 WRBZ (Montgomery/Wetumpka), 95.3/94.7 WCRL (Oneonta), 97.7 WKXM (Winfield) and 107.1 WRAB (Arab).
 
Jax State Notes | Sam Houston Notes
 
New Season
With the conclusion of the regular season last Saturday, Jax State got the nine seed in the tournament, while Sam Houston took the eight seed. The winner of the conference tournament gets an automatic bid into the women's NCAA March Madness Tournament regardless of what happened in the regular season.
 
Against the Bearkats
Jax State and Sam Houston will square off for the fifth time in their histories in the opening round of the CUSA Tournament. The Gamecocks are 1-1 all-time in Jacksonville and in Huntsville, Tex. No game between the two squads have been played at a neutral site location prior to the matchup in the tournament. The Gamecocks won the first ever meeting on Feb. 8, 2024, at Sam Houston in a 58-56 final. Sam Houston took the most recent meeting 56-49 inside the Pete Mathews Coliseum on Feb. 13.
 
6^th Player of the Year
Clara Gonzalez Planella was awarded the CUSA Sixth Player of the Year for her contributions off the bench this season. The junior from Spain has averaged 8.4 points on 21.4 minutes per game this season. In league play, Planella has stepped up her game averaging 9.3 points on 24.7 minutes per game. She is averaging 3.2 rebounds in conference action. Planella scored a career-high 19 points at Utah Valley back on Dec. 16. Her best game in conference came at Middle Tennessee where she scored 17 points and shot an outstanding 55.6% from three-point range.
 
Ball Out Maria
Planella has been complimented by her fellow Spanish teammate Maria Sanchez Ponce. Ponce has averaged a team-best 9.7 points per game in conference on an efficient 44.2% shooting average from the field. Ponce, a junior forward, has scored career-highs of 20 points twice this season. Her first 20-point game was at Western Kentucky on Feb. 6. Her second 20-point outing came at home against Florida International on March 1.
 
On the Leaderboards
Senior Mya Barnes has been a defensive force for the Gamecocks this season. Barnes is tied for fourth in the CUSA in average blocks per game and is fifth in total number of blocks on the year. Barnes has 35 blocks for an average of 1.2 rejections per contest. Samiya Steele and Elsie Harris have been two consistent point guards for the Red-and-White as well. Steele and Harris are in a tie for 10^th in the league in average assists at 2.6 dimes per game. Harris has 74 assists this season, while Steele has 70, respectively.
 
From Downtown
Jax State ranks first in the league in total threes and average threes made per game as a team. The Gamecocks have knocked down 237 threes for an average of 8.2 makes per game. The Gamecocks hope to take that shooting prowess into the CUSA Championship Tournament this week.
 
11 Deep
Planella is not the only Gamecock to make her impact off the bench this season. Jax State ranks 13^th in the nation at 27.3 points from the bench per game.
 
Up Next
If the Gamecocks were to defeat Sam Houston Tuesday, they would face No. 1 seeded Liberty on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Propst Arena as well.
 
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.