MIAMI, Fla. – Women's basketball travels to Florida International for the first of two road Conference USA games on Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. central. Jax State went 1-1 in the first CUSA weekend of the season against Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee last week.
 
Jax State (7-7, 1-1) vs Florida International (7-5, 0-1)
Thursday, Jan. 8 | 6 PM CT (7 PM ET)
Ocean Bank Convocation Center | Miami, Fla.
 
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Last Time Out
Jax State fell 69-52 at home to Middle Tennessee on Sunday, Jan. 4. The Gamecocks opened the game with a 16-7 lead after the first quarter before MTSU stormed back to take a 26-25 advantage into halftime. The Blue Raiders outscored Jax State 26-11 in the third period to extend their lead to 52-36, heading into the fourth quarter. Jax State shot 16-of-52 from the floor, 8-of-29 from three, and 12-of-13 from the free throw line against the Blue Raiders.
 
Top Performers Versus MTSU
The Gamecocks were led by Brooklyn McDaniel offensively who scored 14 points and tied for a team-best eight rebounds and two assists against MTSU. Eden Sample followed with 13 points on an efficient 4-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 from three. Mya Barnes scored nine points and matched McDaniel with eight rebounds.
 
McDaniel's Contribution
McDaniel has stepped up this season averaging 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in an average of 22.9 minutes per game. She has appeared in all 14 games this season, including starting in eight. McDaniel's 14 points against MTSU matched her career-best she set earlier this season against Point on Dec. 13. McDaniel has scored in double-figures six times thus far.
 
Where They Rank
Barnes has been filling the stat sheet all season and her conference rankings reflect her efforts. Barnes is tied for fourth in CUSA, averaging 1.2 blocks per game, she is fifth in the league averaging 2.1 made threes per game and is 10^th in the conference averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. Her 11.0 points per game is 18^th in CUSA. Kyera Thornsbury is seventh in CUSA with an average of 3.0 assists per game. Thornsbury is first in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.5.
 
Suffocating Defense
As is typical of a Rick Pietri coached team, the Gamecocks' defense has been impressive throughout the season. Jax State is allowing 57.3 points from their opponents on 39.6% shooting and 29.0% shooting from three. The Gamecocks rank second in CUSA in scoring defense and fifth in opponent three-point field goal percentage.
 
Dynamic Duo
Barnes and Adriana Jones combined for 38 points as they both scored 19 points in the CUSA opening win over WKU on Jan. 2. Barnes shot 7-of-14 and 5-of-9 from three, while Jones shot 6-of-11 and 3-of-6 from three. Barnes led the team with 9 rebounds, while Jones led the Gamecocks with four assists.
 
Series History
The Gamecocks and Florida International have played 11 times in history. The Panthers have a 9-2 record over Jax State. FIU won the first meeting on Jan. 18, 1996, by a score of 68-55 in Miami, Fla. FIU has won the last two meetings as well, including a 74-72 win over Jax State inside Pete Mathews Coliseum on March 1, 2025.
 
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