SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico| The Jackson State women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season to UCF Thursday night to open the 2023 Discover Puerto Rico Classic.

Miya Crump led the Tigers with 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. Keshuna Luckett also tacked on nine points and three steals and Angel Jackson helped out with four points and 11 rebounds.

Led by Crump's five offensive rebounds, Jackson State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 16 boards that resulted in 21 second chance points.

The Jackson State defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 25 UCF turnovers while committing 13. Those takeaways turned into 28 points on the other end of the floor. Luckett's three steals led the way individually for the Tigers.

How It Happened

• Jackson State (3-1) struggled out of the gate, falling behind 19-11 at the end of the first quarter.
• The Tigers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 39-21 halftime deficit.
• UCF (4-0) continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 41-21 advantage before Jackson State went on a 7-0 run to trim its deficit to 41-28 with 5:02 to go in the third.
• The Knights countered and stretched its lead to 56-37 heading into the fourth.
• Jackson State took advantage of seven UCF turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of takeaways.
• UCF kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 60-38 advantage before Jackson State went on an 8-0 run to shrink the deficit to 60-46 with 5:23 to go in the contest.
• The Tigers kept their comeback going, but UCF managed to hold on for the 63-54 win.
• Jackson State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 17 points in the paint.

Inside the Numbers 

• The Jackson State bench made an impact by scoring 19 points to its scoring output.
• The Tigers dominated the turnover battle, forcing 25 UCF giveaways while committing only 13.
• The JSU defense forced 25 turnovers.
• Jackson State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game.
•  Miya Crump led the Tigers with 17 points.
• Jackson State got a game-high 11 rebounds from Angel Jackson.

Up Next
The Tigers will return for day two of he tournament to take on the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CT

FOLLOW JACKSON STATE ATHLETICS
For complete coverage of Jackson State athletics, follow the Tigers on social media at @GoJSUTigers (Instagram and Twitter), Jackson State Tigers (Facebook), or visit the official home of Jackson State athletics at GoJSUTigers.com.