JACKSONVILLE—A stellar defensive effort came up just short for Jax State on Thursday night at the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
The Gamecocks held the leading team in Conference USA to its second lowest point total of the season, lowest total in conference play, and had the ball at the end of the game but fell 58-57.
 
A left corner 3-pointer with 7:50 left gave Jax State a 48-45 advantage, then connected from the right wing 30 seconds later to put her team up four and answer a basket on the previous possession. The Lady Techsters hit a layup at the midway point of the final period to take a 53-52 advantage. LA Tech pushed the lead to four with 2:40 left, but the Gamecocks worked to tie the game at 57 with 26 seconds left on a fast break layup by Makala Hobdy.
 
Hobdy finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
 
The Lady Techsters split a pair of free throws on their final possession to leave the door open, but a traveling call on a potential game-winning layup ended the chance at an upset. 
 
Jax State was successful on their first three shots of the game to hold a 7-2 lead less than 90 second into the contest. A 3-pointer by Adriana Jones at the 6:31 mark pushed the advantage to 10-6, responding from back-to-back baskets after the Lady Techsters got within a point.
 
LA Tech tied the game on a difficult reverse left-handed layup by Joy Madison-Key at the 3:01 mark of the first, and took their first lead at 13-12 when she made the ensuing free throw after drawing a foul on the shot.
 
With the game tied at 14, Mya Barnes sparked a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws and a triple from the top of the key to close the quarter with a 21-16 advantage which was ended on a jumper in the lane that bounced around the rim and fell through at the buzzer.
 
Barnes finished with a double-double effort of 13 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth of the season.
 
The Lady Techsters tied the game with a 7-2 run over the first six minutes of the second quarter, but a steal and a layup on the next possession by Hobdy but the Gamecocks back on top at the 3:13 mark. Hobdy also hit a tough layup at the 1:27 mark to push the Jax State lead back to four at 29-25.
 
LA Tech scored the last seven points of the half over a 1:14 span to hold a 32-29 lead at the intermission. The Lady Techsters were good on six of their nine field goal attempts during the second 10 minutes with the Gamecocks going 4-of-11 with six turnovers.
 
The guests led by seven with 3:19 to go in the third, but Jax State was able to whittle it back within two and had the ball for the last shot in the third after a steal by Maria Sanchez-Ponce, but the attempt from the top of the key to take the lead was blocked. 
 
Sanchez-Ponce also had 13 points, going 3-of-6 from long range.
 
Only Baylor, which was ranked 15^th at the time, held LA Tech to less points this season (46 on November 26^th).
 
Jax State will be back in action on Saturday at home against Sam Houston at 2:30 p.m.