- LIVE STATS- LIVE AUDIOJACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team will get another shot at Central Arkansas on Saturday, when the Bears visit Pete Mathews Coliseum for a 4 p.m. matchup with the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will be looking for a little revenge on Saturday, when Central Arkansas pays a return visit to Pete Mathews Coliseum after the Bears handed the Gamecocks a 76-72 defeat in Conway Arkansas exactly one week ago. On Nov. 24, UCA held a 13-point lead with under four minutes to play, only to watch JSU claw to within one in the final seconds. The Bears, led by 21 second-half points from Nate Bowie, held on for their fifth-straight win. They added to their win streak on Tuesday, when they downed Rhema, 88-47.
The Gamecocks are also looking to gain a little momentum before they begin Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday, when they travel to Birmingham to face Samford on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m.
Junior DeAndre Bray was named the Ohio Valley Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 11 points and 9.5 assists per game the week before. Bray dished out a season-high 11 assists in a win over Berry College before scoring a career-high 15 points on a career-best 6-of-8 shooting at UCA on Saturday. Bray is currently fourth in the nation in assists with 7.5 per game and leads the OVC with a 4.50 assist/turnover ratio.
Redshirt freshman Jeremy Bynum was named the league’s Co-Freshman of the Week after averaging 13 points and 5.5 rebounds last week, thanks to a 16-point effort against Berry that saw him hit four of his nine attempts from behind the arc. Bynum leads the Gamecocks in scoring with 13.5 points per game, but he is one of nine JSU players averaging at least 6.0 points per game this season.
The Bears, members of the Southland Conference, are led by Bowie’s 14 points per game.
