BOX SCORE

JACKSONVILLE – Chattanooga overcame Jacksonville State's comeback bid in the second half on Tuesday and escaped Pete Mathews Coliseum with an 80-71 win over the Gamecocks.

Trailing by eight at the half, the Gamecocks (2-4) scored the first 12 points of the second half to claim the lead, but the Mocs (4-3) answered to hand JSU its third-straight defeat.

Junior Nick Murphy recorded his first double-double of the season and the sixth of his career to lead a JSU attack that shot just 43 percent from the floor but outrebounded UTC, 36-30. The Bronx, N.Y., native pulled in a season-high 11 rebounds and was one of four JSU players with double figures in scoring with 13 points. He went 4-for-7 from the floor, while also dishing three assists.

Junior Trenton Marshall connected on seven of his 13 attempts form the floor and three of his seven from behind the arc to lead all scorers. The Garyville, La., native's 20 points were his second 20-point effort in the last three games, going along with five boards, three assists and a block.

Junior Jay-R Strowbridge struggled from the floor for JSU, going 4-for-15 on the night, 4-for-12 from behind the arc to put 15 points in the book. The Huntsville, Ala., native dished four assists and picked three steals in 34 minutes. Junior Jeremy Bynum was the Gamecocks' other double-digit scorer, using a 4-for-6 effort from 3-point land to account for most of his 14 points. The Oxford, Ala., native also pulled in six boards.

Keegan Bell led the Mocs with 17 points, mostly coming from his 9-for-10 showing at the free throw line. The guard was 4-for-11 from the floor and also recorded eight assists and five rebounds. Josh Odem and Ricky Taylor each added 13 points, while Taylor pitched in eight rebounds.

Neither team led by more than four points for the first six minutes before a pair of technicals called on JSU head coach James Green sent Bell to the line for four free throws. He made three of them, turning a one-point JSU lead into a two-point UTC advantage. The Mocs slowly pulled out to a 40-28 lead, their largest of the game, and held a 47-39 advantage at the half.

A pair of Strowbridge free throws that ended the half teamed with a 12-0 run to start the second put the Gamecocks on top, 51-47 with 16:29 remaining in the game. The lead wouldn't hold long, as UTC answered with next seven points to reclaim 54-51 advantage. The Mocs would build a six-point advantage by the 10-minute mark of the half, only to watch JSU mount a 9-2 run that was capped by a Marshall layup that gave the Gamecocks their final lead of the night at 63-62 with 6:35 to play.

A Jeremy Saffore layup was countered by a Murphy free throw to tie the game at 64-64 with 5:54 on the clock, but UTC claimed the lead for good just over a minute later when one of Ridge McKeither's chartity shots fell.

The Gamecocks will open Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday, when they host Tennessee Tech at 4:30 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The game will be the back end of a doubleheader with the women's team, who will host TTU at 2 p.m.