SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Clemson 53,
Jacksonville State 45
Saint Mary's 69,
UT Martin 58
Northern Illinois 86,
@SIUE 75
CLEMSON 53, JACKSONVILLE STATE 45
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team came up short on the road to Atlantic Coast Conference foe Clemson in a 53-45 setback at Littlejohn Coliseum, Sunday afternoon.
The Gamecocks (6-4) fall to 1-3 on the road with another away contest coming against Georgia State on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Clemson (9-2) won over JSU by just single digits for the second year in a row after a 69-63 outcome last season.
Junior Rayven Pearson picked up a double-double leading the Gamecocks in both scoring and on the boards with 14 points and 16 rebounds. The 16 boards set a new career mark for the Hazel Green, Ala., native, who had 13 earlier this season against Stillman. Freshman Taylor Hawks also reached double figures scoring with 13 points to match her previous career high set against East Carolina. 11 of her points came in the first half.
Jax State led 6-4 early, before Hawks buried back-to-back triples to give JSU its largest lead of the game at 12-4 midway through the first. Scoring droughts plagued JSU in Sunday's action, and five minute one to close the opening period saw the Tigers reclaim the lead, 16-15, after one quarter.
While Clemson continued to shoot above 55 percent from the field in the second, JSU began to struggle allowed the home squad to grab its largest lead of the game at 10 points heading into halftime, 35-25.
In the third, JSU turned things around and eventually tied the game with an 18-point period. Pearson record six consecutive points early to cut the deficit to 41-35. Gretchen Morrison would cap an 8-0 run with her only three-pointer of the day to even the score at 41 with 3:05 to go in the third. JSU would be unable to take the lead, but trailed by just four heading into the final quarter.
The final quarter proved to be the dagger for the Gamecocks who were unable to score in the opening eight minutes. Although JSU's defense limited their ACC opposition to just six points in the quarter, the offense was not able to get going finishing with its lowest scoring total in a span of 40 games.
JSU will wrap up its non-conference schedule at Georgia State on Tuesday. The 1 p.m. ET/noon CT tip-off will be the first meeting beteen the Gamecocks and Panthers since 2013.
SAINT MARY'S 69, UT MARTIN 58
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team held tough for much of the opening contest of the Basketball Travelers Inc. Invitational before struggling in the second half and ultimately falling to Saint Mary’s 69-58 on Sunday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (4-6) and Gaels would pair up in a tough matchup which featured 11 lead changes and saw the score stay close until a cold shooting third quarter proved to be too much to overcome down the stretch. UT Martin would struggle to find the bottom of the net in the third, shooting just 28.6 percent in the period before ultimately being outscored by eight in the period. The Skyhawks would trim the margin down to five points in the fourth but it would not be enough to stage a comeback victory.
Three players scored in double figures for the Skyhawks led by junior guard Emanye Robertson with 15 points, three assists and three blocks. Reigning OVC Co-Player of the Week Kendall Spray also reached double figures for the seventh consecutive contest with 12 points and four assists. Senior Janekia Mason also eclipsed 10 points while tallying a team-high eight rebounds.
Saint Mary’s (6-3) posted a strong afternoon, shooting 53.7 percent from the field while scoring 42 of its 69 points in the paint. The players scored in double figures for the Gaels, led by Megan McKay with a strong double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Syndey Raggio also tallied 18 points while Stella Bella chipped in 11 points for the squad.
Both teams would come out of the gates strong in the first quarter, shooting well over 50 percent from the floor each. The Skyhawk guard duo of Spray and Robertson would both post strong opening quarters, leading all scorers with seven points each. Ultimately, UT Martin lead by as much as seven points in the first before taking a 21-16 advantage into the second quarter.
Saint Mary’s would battle back in the opening minutes of the second quarter, taking its first lead since early in the opening period following back-to-back jumpers. The lead would continue to seesaw back and forth with six lead changes in the quarter. After 20 minutes of action, the Skyhawks would take a 34-32 lead into the halftime break.
The Gaels took control of the third quarter, outscoring the Skyhawks 17-9 in the quarter after forcing six turnovers. McKay would lay a big part in the strong third, tallying 13 points and 10 rebounds during the 10-minute segment to pace the squad. With the strong play by Saint Mary’s and three lead changes later, the Gaels would take a 49-43 lead into the fourth.
Saint Mary’s would push its lead out to 10 points early in the fourth quarter. Trailing by double figures, the Skyhawk duo of Robertson and Myah Taylor would trim the margin down to five points with five minutes left on the clock. The Skyhawks would try to regain control of the contest but a three-pointer by Katie Rathbun would keep the margin at a three-possession contest down the stretch to secure the team’s victory.
UT Martin will return to action against tournament host Purdue on Monday, Dec. 18. Tipoff from Mackey Arena is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on Big Ten Network Plus.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 86, SIUE 75
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Lauren White scored a career-best 28 points, but it wasn't enough to produce a win for the SIUE women's basketball team Sunday.
Northern Illinois used a strong second half to defeat the Cougars 86-75 in a nonconference game at the Vadalabene Center. The Huskies, getting four players to score in double figures, improved to 7-2. SIUE dropped to 3-6.
White did her best to keep the Cougars together. She made 9 of 17 shots, including 3 of 5 from three-point range and sank 7 of 10 free throws in eclipsing her previous best of 20 points, something she has done three times.
White, a redshirt senior guard from Edwardsville, Ill., also snared seven rebounds and handed out five assists. Teammate Donshel Beck, a senior forward from St. Louis, Mo., added to the effort with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
SIUE led 17-5 midway through the first quarter and 40-37 at half, yet Northern Illinois kept charging at the Cougars. The Huskies erupted for a 49-point second half and used an 11-2 spurt late in the third quarter to carry a 60-58 lead into the final period when they scored 26 points.
Myia Starks tallied a career-high 25 points for NIU. Teammates Courtney Woods (24 points), Kelly Smith (15 points) and Mikayla Voigt (11 points) contributed to the cause.
The Huskies made 29 of 59 shots, including 11 of 22 from three-point range. They also converted 17 of 18 free throws even though SIUE outrebounded them 36-34. The Cougars made 28 of 64 shots, hitting 7 of 17 treys. They were 12 of 22 from the foul line.
SIUE competes next in the Florida Gulf Coast University Hilton Garden Inn Classic at Fort Myers, Florida. The Cougars battle Akron at 3:30 p.m. CT Wednesday and take on host FGCU at 6 p.m. CT Thursday.