FINAL STATS

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team cooled off in the second half on Thursday night and watched Murray State come from behind to pull off a 63-56 win in Ohio Valley Conference play at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

The Gamecocks (8-7, 2-4 OVC) shot over 52 percent from the floor in the first half to lead by two at intermission and led as late as the 7:42 mark in the second half, but the Racers (9-7, 3-3 OVC) clawed back to lead the final six minutes and hold on for their 10th win in as many meetings in the series.

Jacksonville State shot just 38 percent in the final 20 minutes, including a 1-for-7 effort from behind the arc in the second half, while Murray State shot 42 percent from the floor and was 15-of-18 from the free throw line in the second half to hand JSU its third-straight loss.

Freshman Brandon Crawford and sophomore Jeremy Bynum each scored 13 points to lead the Gamecocks in the scoring column, while sophomore Nick Murphy had his streak of nine-straight games with 10 or more points snapped with eight in the loss. Crawford, a 6-foot-6 forward from Montgomery, Ala., was 5-for-8 from the floor and 1-for-1 from behind the arc.

The Racers were led by Isacc Miles, who scored 15 points to lead a group of three players in double figures. Kevin Thomas scored 14, while Jeffery McClain added 10.

The Gamecocks will be back at home on Saturday at 4 p.m., when they host UT Martin at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the JSU Radio Network.