Jan. 29, 2004

Box Score

Jacksonville State - Southeast (8-10, 3-4 OVC) put forth a tremendous second half effort, making seven steals, forcing eleven turnovers, and outscoring the Lady Gamecocks 61-54, but it wasn't enough to overcome their first half deficit. Jacksonville State (12-5, 6-1 OVC) held off the Otahkian comeback, downing Southeast 95-83.

Southeast jumped out to a 5-0 lead on two early buckets inside and a free throw, but then allowed JSU to use a 24-5 run to capture a 24-10 with 10:14 left. The Otahkians mounted a comeback as they pulled the Lady Gamecocks within nine with 5:46 to play in the first, but the shots just wouldn't fall for the Otahkians as they went to the lockers trailing 22-41 at the half.

The squad shot just 21.4 percent from the field in the half, including only 8.3 percent from long range, despite normally being an outstanding three-point shooting squad. On the other hand, JSU enjoyed 53.1 percent shooting early on.

Coming out of the lockers the squad found their spark and played with intensity. The team used run after run to chip away at the Lady Gamecock lead and pull back into the game. With 8:40 left on the clock, point-guard Sarah Costello netted a three-pointer to cap off Southeast's 15-5 run and pull the squad within nine, 50-59.

Despite enjoying 51.6 percent shooting in the half, Southeast couldn't pull any closer as JSU hit three key three-pointers and drained their shots at the charity stripe in the last seven minutes to hold off the comeback.

The game's final four minutes took more than half an hour of real time as the two teams combined to shoot 29 free throws down the stretch. On the night the teams attempted a combined total of 85 shots from the charity stripe.

On the night the Otahks shot 37 percent from the field, but the Lady Gamecocks held the advantage as they shot 53 percent from the floor. Southeast was strong under the glass though, edging out JSU 38-37 on the boards.

Southeast produced a balanced scoring effort as five Otahkians recorded double digits. Leading the way was senior guard Kenja White netting 16 on 6-of-9 shooting, while Sami Jo Cotton followed closely behind with 13. Senior forwards Carina Souza and Yashika Sidbury add another 12 a piece, while Costello rounded out the scoring with 11. Sidbury led the team in rebounds, bringing down a game-high, seven. While Costello was the team's top helper, dishing out six assists.

The Gamecocks also had five players in double-digits as sophomore forward Shanika Freeman led the Gamecock squad, posting the game-high 24 points. Teammates Freddricka Embry and Kelly Nye added sixteen and fifteen respectively.

The Otahkians will now cap off their four game road series will a visit to Samford (8-10, 1-6 OVC) this Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. The squad then returns home to host Tennessee Martin (6-11, 3-4 OVC) on next Thursday, Feb. 5. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. in the Show Me Center.