SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Auburn 62,
Jacksonville State 53
@Murray State 93, Cumberland 60
AUBURN 62, JACKSONVILLE STATE 53
AUBURN, Ala. - A season-high 21 points for senior Destiney Elliott kept Jacksonville Stat close, but the Gamecocks were unable to complete a late rally on the road, falling at Auburn 62-53.
Keeping it around a 10-point margin most of the game, the Tigers (6-5) moved out to an 18-point advantage in the fourth quarter before a barrage of JSU (4-7) three-pointers brought the Gamecocks back late.
Elliott's 21 points came on 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, along with three free throws from a fouled attempt. Junior Taylor Hawks also reached double figures with 12 points, behind a trio of triples. Jessie Day and Yamia Johnson knocked down multiple deep shots as Jax State drained a season-best 13 three-pointers. It marked the fifth-most threes in a single game for JSU, and the second-most against a Power-5 opponent behind 14 at Florida State on Nov. 11, 2016.
While JSU found its rhythm from the outside, it was initially forced out there by a suffocating Auburn defense. Compared to 13 made shots from beyond the arc, JSU managed just three from inside and were outscored 22-2 in the paint by the Southeastern Conference foe.
Auburn brought the full-court press straight out of the gate, stumping the Gamecocks early as AU jumped out to a quick 14-4 advantage. A couple of buckets by Kiana Johnson kept JSU in it until Day connected on a late triple to shave the deficit back under 10. Early in the second, Elliott knocked down back-to-back threes to cut it to a three-point contest at 16-13, but the Tigers ran off six-straight to follow. Day converted another much-need deep shot to bring the margin back to nine as JSU went to the half down 27-18.
Hawks pulled up for a couple of threes early in the third to make it 30-24, but it would be as close as the Gamecocks would get after AU used a 9-0 run to rebuild its double-digit advantage.
Trailing 56-38 midway through the final period, JSU refused to pack it in, instead turning the tables on Auburn with a press defense itself after Elliott got the late rally started. Seven of JSU's 13 three-pointers came in the final quarter, with Johnson providing two off the bench to force Auburn to regroup late to hold on to the lead. JSU ended on a 15-6 run over the final 4:05 of game time, bringing the deficit down as low as eight at one point before running out of time.
JSU will look to carry its late fourth-quarter momentum into its next game as the Gamecock begin Ohio Valley Conference on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Morehead State.
MURRAY STATE 93, CUMBERLAND 60
MURRAY, Ky. - Five players scored in double digits and 10 players found their way on the score sheet as the Murray State women’s basketball team cruised to a 93-60 win over Cumberland (TN) Saturday at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. With the win, the Racers end the non-conference portion of their schedule at 7-4 for the best non-conference winning percentage since 2012-13.
The Phoenix scored the opening basket of the game, but that is where their momentum stopped. MSU then scored the next two baskets to take a lead which it never relinquished. The Racers shot an impressive 42.4-percent from the floor in the game and 32.4-percent from 3-point range, including a season-high 12 3-pointers.
Cekeya Mack tied her career-high in both points and rebounds with 13 and nine, respectively, while Laci Hawthorne also had 13 points and to go along with eight rebounds. Macey Turley and Reagan Blackburn followed Mack and Hawthorne with 12 points, while Turley also tied her season-high for assists with eight. In all, the Racers got 48 points off the bench Saturday, more than doubling the previous season-high of 22 against Mississippi State.
The second season for Murray State begins Jan. 4 when the Racers kick off their 18-game OVC slate with rival UT Martin at the CFSB Center at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.