T.D. Woods Leaves JSU Football Staff
1/5/2007 2:49:00 PM
BIRMINGHAM – Once again in Ohio Valley Conference play a last-second shot bit the Jacksonville State men’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon, when first-place Samford pulled out a 64-63 win at Seibert Hall.
Less than one month after Joe Ross Merritt’s buzzer beater lifted the Bulldogs (9-6, 6-0 OVC) to a one-point win in Jacksonville, Samford’s Curtis West hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with one-second to play to hand the Gamecocks (3-12, 1-5 OVC) their fourth last-second loss in conference play this season.
Senior forward Harold Crow led four Gamecocks with a career-high 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the floor. The Lubbock, Texas, native scored 10 points in the second half and led Jax State to what looked like a win late in the game.
Trailing 63-58 late in the game, West knocked down a trey to cut the deficit to two with nine seconds remaining. The subsequent inbounds pass for JSU was knocked away by Samford and possession ruled in the Bulldogs’ favor, setting up West’s final shot that gave Samford its first lead of the afternoon.
“That was a tough loss, but we have no excuses,” JSU head coach Mike LaPlante said. “Five of our last six conference games have come down to the last possession and we have lost four of those. We need to find a way to shore up and win these games.”
Senior Courtney Bradley scored 15 points for JSU on a 7-for-12 showing from the floor. Junior Will Ginn added 12 points, a game-high seven rebounds and six assists. Nick Smith was the other Gamecock in double figures with 11 points.
The Gamecocks made a season-high 64 percent of their shots from the floor and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 26-19, but committed 12 turnovers that proved costly in the loss.
Samford was led by Randall Gulina’s 18 points, while Travis Peterson added 14. West finished the game with 11 points.
The Gamecocks jumped out to a 14-7 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining in the first half, thanks to eight early points from Crow. Samford used three treys to battle back and tie it at 16-16, but JSU answered with a 7-0 run to rebuild the lead.
The Bulldogs would get within three and trailed the Gamecocks, 33-28 at the half. Bradley led all Gamecocks with 12 points at the break, while Merritt had 12 for Samford.
The main difference in the first half was on the glass, where JSU held a 17-5 advantage during the first 20 minutes. Samford managed just one offensive board to the Gamecocks’ eight. Will Ginn of JSU led all players with five boards at the break.
JSU would lead by as many as nine in the second half, but Samford slowly cut into the lead. The Bulldogs got as close as one point a few times before making their final move in the final seconds.
The Gamecocks will return to the floor on Thursday, when they travel to Cookeville, Tenn., to face Tennessee Tech. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and the game will be carried live on the JSU Sports Network.
Less than one month after Joe Ross Merritt’s buzzer beater lifted the Bulldogs (9-6, 6-0 OVC) to a one-point win in Jacksonville, Samford’s Curtis West hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with one-second to play to hand the Gamecocks (3-12, 1-5 OVC) their fourth last-second loss in conference play this season.
Senior forward Harold Crow led four Gamecocks with a career-high 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the floor. The Lubbock, Texas, native scored 10 points in the second half and led Jax State to what looked like a win late in the game.
Trailing 63-58 late in the game, West knocked down a trey to cut the deficit to two with nine seconds remaining. The subsequent inbounds pass for JSU was knocked away by Samford and possession ruled in the Bulldogs’ favor, setting up West’s final shot that gave Samford its first lead of the afternoon.
“That was a tough loss, but we have no excuses,” JSU head coach Mike LaPlante said. “Five of our last six conference games have come down to the last possession and we have lost four of those. We need to find a way to shore up and win these games.”
Senior Courtney Bradley scored 15 points for JSU on a 7-for-12 showing from the floor. Junior Will Ginn added 12 points, a game-high seven rebounds and six assists. Nick Smith was the other Gamecock in double figures with 11 points.
The Gamecocks made a season-high 64 percent of their shots from the floor and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 26-19, but committed 12 turnovers that proved costly in the loss.
Samford was led by Randall Gulina’s 18 points, while Travis Peterson added 14. West finished the game with 11 points.
The Gamecocks jumped out to a 14-7 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining in the first half, thanks to eight early points from Crow. Samford used three treys to battle back and tie it at 16-16, but JSU answered with a 7-0 run to rebuild the lead.
The Bulldogs would get within three and trailed the Gamecocks, 33-28 at the half. Bradley led all Gamecocks with 12 points at the break, while Merritt had 12 for Samford.
The main difference in the first half was on the glass, where JSU held a 17-5 advantage during the first 20 minutes. Samford managed just one offensive board to the Gamecocks’ eight. Will Ginn of JSU led all players with five boards at the break.
JSU would lead by as many as nine in the second half, but Samford slowly cut into the lead. The Bulldogs got as close as one point a few times before making their final move in the final seconds.
The Gamecocks will return to the floor on Thursday, when they travel to Cookeville, Tenn., to face Tennessee Tech. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and the game will be carried live on the JSU Sports Network.
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