RUSTON, La. – Jax State women's hoops fell 71-51 Saturday afternoon at Louisiana Tech to round out a two-game road swing.
The Gamecocks (11-10, 5-4) were led by Maria Sanchez-Ponce who poured in 17 points.
Mya Barnes was one rebound short of her sixth double-double of the season as she finished with a team-best nine boards and 16 points. Barnes was efficient shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-five from three.
Jax State quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead within the first four minutes of the game.
Makala Hobdy made a layup off an offensive rebound with 4:02 left in the first quarter before the Lady Techsters (15-5, 8-1) ended the opening 10 minutes on a 9-0 run to go up 11-9.
LA Tech went up 17-9 early in the second quarter before
Mina Djurdjevic nailed a three to get the Gamecocks within five with 7:22 left before halftime. Djurdjevic, who got her second consecutive start due to the Gamecocks being without
Brooklyn McDaniel, had five points, three rebounds, and three steals.
Ponce hit a buzzer beating layup to make it 30-19 at the halftime intermission. Barnes led the Gamecocks with six points at the break.
At the media break in the third quarter, LA Tech led 49-28. The Lady Techsters eventually held a 60-36 advantage by the end of the third. LA Tech shot 11-of-14 in the third and outscored Jax State 30-17 in the period.
A pair of made free throws by Averi Aaron at the 7:21 mark in the fourth gave the Lady Techsters their largest lead of the game at 67-38. Jax State went on a 10-4 run sparked by a Barnes three at the 5:39 mark and capped by another Barnes three with only one second left on the clock.
Jax State outscored the Lady Techsters 15-11 in the final 10 minutes of action.
Jax State returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. to face Liberty. Following the matchup against the Flames, Delaware visits the Pete on Feb. 7 for a 1:30 p.m. tip off.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Basketball), Instagram (@JaxStateWBB), and X (@JaxStateWBB) accounts.
