HARAHAN, La.—Jax State came within just a few pins of repeating at the Conference USA Champion, but came up short to Wichita State.
 
The Shockers won the mega match 2-1 after winning traditional play 1,018-1,004 and the best-of-seven tiebreaker 4-3 after the Gamecocks won the Baker games 1,105-1,034. That sent the championship to a winner-take-all best-of-seven match which was won by Wichita State 4-3.
 
Erin Klemencic led the way in traditional play with a 257 and landed on the all-tournament team with Kiera Magsam. Annalise OBryant added a 204 to the effort.
 
Jax State jumped out to a 52-pin lead in the five Baker game total pinfall portion of the match with a 222-170 lead after recording six consecutive strikes after leaving the first two frames open. Wichita State knocked out nearly half of the deficit in the next match with a 223-200 advantage, but Jax State pushed it back over 50 with six straight strikes again in a 232-202 advantage in the third. The Gamecocks posted 205 and 246 in the last two games to come away with a 71-pin advantage and send the match to the tiebreaker.
 
The Gamecocks had a 3-2 lead after winning the first 223-170, the third 212-162, and the fifth 200-188. Jax State doubled to open the sixth game but left the third and seventh open which allowed Wichita State to win 216-180. Jax State struck on three of its first four rolls in the seventh, but missed a single in the sixth when WSU doubled, then struck twice in the 10^th to tie and posted nine on the fill ball to win the match.
 
After dropping the first game of the winner-take-all series 203-194, Jax State bounced back with a 233-215 win in the second getting a strike from each player in the lineup the second time through. A double in the eighth of the third game set up a 193-177 win for the Gamecocks but the Shockers answered with a 206-204 win in the fourth, getting a strike on the fill ball after picking up a single-pin spare in the 10^th.
 
A 223-206 win in the fifth again put Jax State within reach of the trophy, but had three three-pin splits to close the match in Game 6 with Wichita State winning 212-200. The Shockers also took the final game 218-215, picking up a single-pin spare and using the fill ball to make up the rest of the eight-pin deficit going into the frame.
 
The Gamecocks will find out their NCAA Regional assignment on Wednesday.