FINAL STATS

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team came up just short again at Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night, when the Colonels held off a Gamecock rally to escape with a 64-61 win at McBrayer Arena.

The Gamecocks (2-13, 0-4 Ohio Valley Conference) woes continued in the home arena of the Colonels (7-8, 2-3 OVC), where they dropped their eighth game in eight trips to Richmond and saw their losing streak reach nine games.

Senior Nick Murphy tied his season high with 20 points, 13 of which came in the second half, but the rally he helped lead wouldn't be enough. Junior Stephen Hall notched his first double-double in almost a year and the fifth of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Murphy pitched in seven boards. Senior Sean Thurston scored a career-high eight points and pulled down six rebounds in the losing effort.

EKU used an early run in the second half to stretch a six-point halftime lead into an 11-point lead with 13 minutes remaining, but JSU fought back. The Gamecocks held the Colonels without a field goal over the game's final five and a half minutes to pull to within one, but EKU used the free throw line to hang on for the win.

Eastern Kentucky got 21 points from Joshua Jones, thanks to a 4-for-10 night from behind the arc, while Justin Stommes added 13. Spencer Perrin, Willie Cruz and Josh Daniel each pitched in eight points, while Perrin's eight boards led a 30-28 EKU advantage on the glass.

The Gamecocks committed a season-low seven turnovers and saw eight of the nine players that saw action in the game record at least one assist. Freshman Brian Williams dished four of the team's 12 assists to go along with five points off of the bench. Senior Jeremy Bynum scored nine points for JSU.

EKU shot just 38 percent from the floor in the second half to JSU's 45 percent, but an 8-for-10 half from the free throw line for the Colonels, 6-for-8 in the final four minutes, proved deadly to JSU's comeback hopes.

Both teams played an even first half until a late Eastern Kentucky run gave the Colonels a six-point lead at the half. A Frankie Bougher three with four minutes to play before intermission cut the EKU lead to 28-27, but the Colonels scored seven of the last nine to claim a 35-29 halftime advantage.

Jones led all scorers with 12 first-half points, while Stommes added 11 for EKU. Hall's eight led JSU in the first half, while Murphy pitched in seven and Williams dished four assists off of the bench.

EKU continued that run for the first 4:30 of the second half, a stretch that saw the Colonels score eight of the first 12 points of the half to build a 43-33 lead at the first media timeout of the half.

The Gamecocks would make attempts to cut into the deficit but EKU always seemed to find an answer. On a Murphy three-point play, JSU would cut it to a four-point game with just under 10 minutes to play but the Colonels answered with five in a row to stretch their lead back to nine.

JSU answered by scoring the next seven to pull to within two, 56-54 with 6:06 remaining, the closest the Gamecocks had been since the 3:32 mark of the first half. A Joshua Jones jumper pushed the Colonels back out by four and Josh Daniels converted on all three free throws after a foul behind the arc to put EKU back up by seven with just under four minutes to play.

The JSU defense clamped down the rest of the way and cut it to within one in the final 40 seconds, but EKU converted from the free throw line and forced Stephen Hall to attempt a contested three at the horn to hold on to the win.

The Gamecocks will wrap up the road trip on Saturday, when they take on Morehead State at 6:30 p.m. CT in Morehead, Ky. The game will follow a 4:15 p.m. women's game, with both games of the twinbill being carried live on the JSU Radio Network.