One of the winningest college basketball coaches in the state of Alabama earned another career milestone on Saturday.
Current Jacksonville State women’s basketball coach Rick Pietri earned his 400th Division I victory as the Gamecocks picked up a 60-56 home win over Conference USA foe New Mexico State.
The win was Pietri’s 180th at Jax State, with the longtime coach his other 220 Division I wins at South Alabama.
His 400 Division I wins in the state of Alabama rank only behind legendary Auburn coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Ciampi.
Maria Sanchez Ponce led the Gamecocks against New Mexico State with 15 points and six rebounds, going 6-for-9 from the field in the victory for Jax State.
Shaquice May also scored in double figures with 10 points, while three other Gamecocks scored 8 — one of which was Carver-Montgomery alum Bre’Anna Rhodes, who also grabbed five rebounds.
New Mexico State’s Molly Kaiser scored a game-high 19 points and Fanta Gassama scored 18 for the visiting Aggies.
Before starting at Jax State in 2013, Pietri spent 2000-2013 as the head coach at South Alabama — his alma mater — and led the Jaguars to a pair of WNIT appearances.
He also served as the head boys’ basketball coach at St. Paul’s Episcopal School and B.C. Rain High School in Mobile, where he won the 1997 Class 5A title with B.C. Rain.
For his success at the high school ranks, Pietri was named Class 5A Coach of the Year in 1998 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association and is a multi-time Mobile Press-Register Coach of the Year.
Jax State (9-9, 3-4 CUSA) will travel to play Florida International on Thursday.
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