BOX SCORE

ATHENS, Ga. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team had Georgia on the ropes Friday night, but the Bulldogs used a solid second half to hold off the Gamecocks' upset bid, winning 67-64 at Stegeman Coliseum.

The Gamecocks (2-3) held the Bulldogs (3-2) scoreless for more than nine minutes late in the first half and used a 14-0 run to take an 11-point lead, but UGA answered with a run of its own to reclaim the lead halfway through the second half. The homestanding Bulldogs then held off a couple JSU runs to hand the Gamecocks their second-straight loss.

“I was very pleased with the way our guys put the last game behind us and executed tonight,” JSU head coach James Green said. “We had a game plan and pretty much stuck to that game plan, especially in the first half. I felt like the first half was outstanding for us. We were very patient on the offensive end and did good job on the glass and protecting the basketball in the first half.”

In a game that saw nine ties and six lead changes, the Gamecocks shot 48 percent from the floor, 52 percent in the second half. Four Gamecocks scored in double figures, led by junior Jay-R Strowbridge's 16 points. Sophomore Stephen Hall added 13 points and nine rebounds, leading the Gamecocks' effort on the glass.

Juniors Nick Murphy and Trenton Marshall each scored 12 points off of the bench for the Gamecocks, while junior Jeremy Bynum added seven.

Trey Thompkins put in 15 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Bulldogs. Ricky McPhee rode his 11 first-half points to a night that saw him score 16 and grab a team-high eight boards. UGA overcame an 18-15 first-half rebound deficit to win the battle on the glass, 37-32. It marked the first time this season the Gamecocks have been outrebounded.

JSU hung in there for much of the first half, never allowing the Bulldogs to lead by more than three. The last three-point advantage came on a Trey Thompkins jumper with 10:26 to play in the half, UGA's last points for the next nine minutes and 33 seconds. During that stretch, the Gamecocks put together a 14-0 run that gave them a 29-18 lead with just over 90 seconds before the half.

McPhee connected on his third 3-pointer of the half with 53 seconds on the clock to cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 29-21, the same score the Gamecocks would take into the locker room at the half.

Strowbridge led JSU in scoring in the opening half, going 3-for-3 from behind the arc to account for all nine of his points. He and Stephen Hall each grabbed five boards to lead the undersized Gamecocks to an 18-15 advantage on the glass in the opening 20 minutes.

The Bulldogs used that final triple from McPhee inn the first half to key a 13-4 run that cut JSU's lead to 33-31 with 15:28 remaining. UGA kept control of the momentum and reclaimed the lead in the form of a 43-41 advantage with 9:56 remaining in the game.

Georgia would build a 49-43 lead, only to watch the Gamecocks claw back and tie it at 51-51 with 5:12 to play. After the Bulldogs scored the next four, JSU answered to reclaim the lead after Strowbridge's old-fashioned three-point play with 3:42 on the clock gave the Gamecocks a 56-55 advantage.

A Marshall free throw stretched the lead to 57-55, setting up a Dustin Ware triple with 2:33 gave the Bulldogs a one-point advantage, setting up a 3-pointer from McPhee that gave them a 61-57 lead with two minutes on the clock. A Sean Thurston bucket cut the lead to two in the final 90 seconds, but UGA went to the line and spoiled the Gamecocks' upset bid.

The Gamecocks will now travel home, where they will play their next five games. They will begin the homestand on Tuesday at 7 p.m., when Chattanooga pays a visit to Pete Mathews Coliseum. JSU will then open Ohio Valley Conference play on Dec. 5, against Tennessee Tech at 4:30 p.m.