Box Score FINAL STATS

NATCHITOCHES, La. – Northwestern State used a late surge to sneak past the Jacksonville State men's basketball team with a 66-61 overtime win on Friday night.

After shooting 39 percent from the floor and 52 percent from the free throw line in regulation, the Demons (3-3) were 2-for-4 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line in overtime to steal a home win over the Gamecocks (2-3).

“You have to give them credit,” JSU head coach James Green said. “They played really hard down the stretch, and when you look at the stats, they made more free throws than we took and they outrebounded us. That is a big difference. We just didn't do the little things late and weren't able to execute when we needed to and that really cost us.”

In a game that took nearly 150 minutes, NSU barely took advantage of 32 JSU fouls by connecting on just 22 of their 38 free throw attempts. The 58 percent they made proved to be just enough, allowing them to erase a nine-point deficit with 10 minutes to play by making just 20 field goals on the night.

The Gamecocks shot just 15 free throws in the game and made nine, dropping a game that saw them make three more field goals and two more from behind the arc, while forcing 18 turnovers and committing just 13.

Senior Stephen Hall led the Gamecocks with 16 points and paced JSU on the boards with eight rebounds. The Birmingham, Ala., native was 7-for-11 from the floor and was 6-for-8 from inside the arc, while blocking a shot and grabbing three steals. He was one of three JSU players in double figures, with sophomore Brian Williams scoring 13 and junior Tarvin Gaines adding 10 before being the first of three Gamecocks to foul out in the game. Junior Ronnie Boggs pitched in seven rebounds.

NSU big man William Mosley flirted with a triple-double but came up just short. One of the nation's best shot blockers swatted seven JSU attempts to go along with his 14 points and 16 boards. Louis Ellis led the Demons with 17 points, including a bucket with five seconds to play that sent the game into overtime.

The Gamecocks jumped on the Demons out of the gate, building a 22-13 lead just past the halfway mark of the first half. The whistles began to blow at that point and JSU's shot went cold, as just two Gamecock field goals fell before the end of the half and they were called for 11 of their 13 first-half fouls in the final 12 minutes.

NSU took advantage, finishing the half on a 17-5 run that gave the Demons a 30-27 lead at the intermission.

The sloppiness continued early in the second half, but JSU was able to turn it up on the defensive end to reclaim the lead. The Gamecocks opened the second half with a 21-9 run that allowed them to build a 48-39 lead with just over nine minutes to play. During that run, JSU held the Demons without a field goal for 10 minutes and five seconds, allowing the Gamecocks to create the lead.

The Demons started to claw back, slowly nipping at the lead before a Louis Ellis lay in tied the game at 52-52 with 50 seconds to play.

The two exchanged buckets before Gaines hit the back end of a pair of free throws with 18 seconds to play to put JSU up 55-53. After a timeout set up the Demons' final play, Ellis carried the ball down the lane to sink a lay in with five seconds to play to tie it and send it to overtime.

The Demons started the extra frame with an old fashioned three-point play from Gary Roberson that sparked a 7-2 run, allowing them to build a 62-57 lead that they never relinquished. They went to the line and converted just enough to hang on.

The Gamecocks now travel to Moraga, Calif., to continue their six-game road swing at the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic at St. Mary's. JSU opens the two-day event against Weber State at 8:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.