FINAL STATS

Jacksonville, Ala. --- Despite overcoming a 16-point deficit, the Tennessee State women's basketball team fell to Jacksonville State, 69-56, Saturday afternoon in Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Diamond Beatty led TSU (9-14, 4-9 OVC) with 13 points while Jayda Johnson scored 10.

Jacksonville State (11-14, 4-9 OVC) was paced by Lacey Buchanon's 20 points and Gretchen Morrison tallied 15.

The score was tied, 6-6, when Jacksonville State used an 8-0 run to capture a 14-6 lead. The TSU offense went cold and the Lady Tigers went without a bucket for nearly four minutes. Tia Wooten connected in the paint to end the drought but TSU fell behind by double-digits on the next play. The Lady Tigers trailed, 19-11, at the end of the first period.

TSU's scoring woes, fueled by missed opportunities and turnovers, continued in the second quarter. The Lady Tigers only managed to score six points in the frame and went into the break down, 33-17. After two quarters of action, TSU had 19 turnovers and was shooting 29.2 percent from the field including 16.7 percent from three-point range.

In the third period, five quick points by the Lady Tigers, including a three-point play by I'mani Davis, sparked a rally that pulled the visitors to within eight, 35-27. On the next possession, Diamond Beatty drained a triple from the top of the key to make the score, 35-30.

At the 6:33 mark, a layup by Jayda Johnson capped a 17-2 run that cut the deficit down to just one point. The Gamecocks, however, answered with a 7-0 spurt that put them back on top, 42-34, with 3:12 left in the quarter. TSU trailed, 46-41, heading into the final stanza.

In the final period, TSU stayed within striking distance but continued to trail. At the final media timeout, JSU had a 52-46 edge.

The Lady Tigers made a final push down the stretch but the Gamecocks were able to keep them at bay.

Tennessee State returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Morehead State. Game time is set for 5 p.m. in Johnson Arena.

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