Story by Gage Johnson, contributing writer
A late second half comeback allowed Jacksonville State to come away with the road win over Murray State 59-55.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Gamecocks defeated the Racers by 30 points. The second matchup between these two teams was the opposite.
The teams began their back and forth affair by starting off the first half with less than impressive offensive games. After the first quarter, Jacksonville State had a miniscule lead of 11-10. Defense continued to be a focal point for both squads, as neither team had a single player score in double figures in the first half. The teams had 15 turnovers combined in the first half. Murray State had the slight edge in the second quarter, however, and headed to the locker room with a 23-22 lead.
In the third quarter of play, the Racers seemed to pull away from the Gamecocks. Murray State put up 17 points in the quarter, while Jacksonville State scored 11 points for the third-straight quarter of play.
This didn’t stop the Gamecocks, though. They attacked aggressively on offense and started knocking down shots in bunches. Along with their efficiency on offense, Jacksonville State managed to get out to a plus seven rebounding advantage by the games end. The Racers stayed consistent offensively in the fourth, but a rebounding deficit and a run from the Gamecocks led to a 26-15 fourth quarter.
Freshman guard Taylor Hawks lead the way for the Gamecocks with 14 points, while senior forward Tyler Phelion was the only other double figure scorer with 10 points in the game. Senior guard Ke’Shunan James managed to put up 24 points for the Racers, but it wasn’t enough, as the high scoring quarter allowed Jacksonville State to come away with a 59-55 win.
The loss puts the Racers at 9-17 overall and 5-10 in OVC play. This loss makes Murray State tied at eighth in the conference with Eastern Kentucky, and makes these last three OVC games crucial to make it into OVC tournament.
They will compete in their last home game of the regular season before they hit the road for two more conference games. They take on Tennessee Tech at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the CFSB Center.