Final Stats

JACKSONVILLE – Samford used a 29-7 second half scoring run to overcome a halftime deficit as the Bulldogs topped Jacksonville State, 66-52, in women's basketball action at Pete Matthews Coliseum on Tuesday night.

The Gamecocks fell to 2-2 on the season and will return to the floor on Saturday, Nov. 27 at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. SU picked up its first win of the season after losses to Texas Tech and Vanderbilt.

In the opening half, JSU went toe-to-toe with the Southern Conference favorite thanks to a ten-point scoring effort off the bench from junior Brittany Wiley. The preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference pick finished the opening half 4-of-10 from the field, including a three-point basket. Jax State took its first lead at 15-13 with just under ten minutes to play in the half. A basket by Zenobia Pitts sparked a Gamecock scoring run that pushed the lead out to as many as nine points just before halftime. JSU took a 32-27 lead into the intermission.

The Bulldogs scored the first five points of the final period to even the game at 32-32 with 18:06 left in the contest. For the next 18 minutes, SU would out-score the Red and White 34-20 to claim the 14-point win. The Bulldogs were hitting on all cylinders on both ends of the floor in the final 20 minutes as they went on a 29-7 run to push the lead out to a game-high 22 points with 6:39 to play. SU connected on 54 percent from the field (13-24) while holding JSU to just six buckets in the second half. SU also turned JSU over 14 times in the last half, accounting for 17 points. The Bulldogs drained 11-of-28 from behind the three-point arc in the affair.

A late charge by the Gamecocks trimmed the lead down twelve on a Danielle Vaughn basket with just 12 second left in the contest. Vaughn finished with a team-high 13 points. Pitts came off the bench for eight rebounds and six points along with a trio of assists.

JSU's contest with Bethune-Cookman will get underway at 4 p.m. CST on Saturday. Jax State will stay in the state of Florida following Saturday's tilt with a Monday evening battle with Stetson in DeLand, Fla.