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JACKSONVILLE – After dropping its first game of the season last Saturday on the road, Jacksonville State's women's basketball squad returns to Pete Matthews Coliseum on Tuesday evening to face in-state nemesis Samford University. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

JSU enters the Thanksgiving week duel 2-1 after falling to Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn. in its last outing. The Gamecocks opened their two-game road trip with a 66-58 win over Troy last Wednesday. Samford, playing in its third consecutive road game, dropped games at Texas Tech and Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs tested the Commodores before falling 70-60.

Tuesday's contest will be the 28th renewal between the two in-state programs. The two teams have met every season since 1995 with the Bulldogs holding a one-game edge over Jax State, 14-13. Samford has claimed the three games in the series dating back to 2007 when JSU posted a 13-point win on SU's home floor. The last Gamecock win at home over the Red and Blue came during the 2004-05 campaign.

Junior guard Destiny Lane has been one of the leaders of the Gamecock attack in the first three games of the season. Through three games, Lane leads JSU in scoring with at 13.7 points per game. The Ashville, Ala-native has posted back-to-back double digit scoring totals against Troy and Lipscomb. She came off the bench versus Troy to spark the JSU offense with 14 points. Lane matched her career high with 21 points in her first start of the season. In the LU contest, she drained 4-of-7 from behind the three-point arc along with dishing out four assists while playing all 40 minutes of the game. Senior Danielle Beneby leads Jax State in rebounds with a 7.0 average. Jax State ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference with a +8.3 rebounding margin over its opponents.

Samford poses many challenges as it runs an offense similar to the Princeton-style offense. The Bulldogs are led by seniors Savannah Hill and Emily London, who was selected the Southern Conference's Preseason Player of the Year. Hill averages 12.5 points per contest while London paces the squad in rebounds at 5.0 per game and also turns in 10.5 points a game. The Bulldogs finished second in the SoCon a year ago with a 14-6 mark and finished the season 23-11 and a trip to the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

The JSU-SU game can be heard on 91.9 FM or online at www.JSUGamecockSports.com.

Following the Samford contest, the Gamecocks will make the long trek to Daytona Beach, Fla. on Friday in advance of their first of two games in the state of Florida. JSU will face Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, Nov. 27 before making the short drive to DeLand, Fla. on Monday to battle Stetson.