Box Score FINAL STATS

NEW ORLEANS – Sophomore Brian Williams poured in a career-high 21 points for the Jacksonville State men's basketball team on Sunday, but a second-half Gamecock rally came up just short in a 59-51 loss at Tulane in the title game of the Skip Prosser Tournament.

The Gamecocks (3-7) and Green Wave (11-1) exchanged leads 10 times in the first half but an early Tulane run in the second half created just enough separation for them to claim the first-ever meeting between the two schools and the tournament title.

Williams bested his previous career high by two points by connecting on a career-best eight field goals. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native also tied career highs with six assists and four rebounds to earn all-tournament honors. He was one of just two Gamecocks to score in double figures, joined by junior Tarvin Gaines. The transfer from Lawson State Community College scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and was 5-for-8 from the field.

The Green Wave got 15 points from Jordan Callahan, while Ricky Tarrant added 10 in the win. Josh Davis scored eight but made his biggest difference with 11 of the team's 42 rebounds. Their leading scorer on the year, Kendall Timmons, scored eight but went 2-for-9 from the floor.

JSU committed 15 turnovers while forcing 14 but turned that into a 17-11 advantage in points off turnovers.

JSU held Tulane to 13 points below its season average and limited the Green Wave to a 39 percent shooting effort, but the free throw line proved costly. The Gamecocks converted on eight of their 12 attempts, but 30 trips to the line were enough for Tulane, who made only 57 percent but got 17 pints from there.

The Gamecocks matched the Green Wave blow-for-blow in the first half, one that saw four ties and 10 lead changes before Tulane took a 26-23 advantage into the locker room at the half.

A 6-0 run that was capped by a Williams trey with 2:06 to play in the half gave JSU its final lead of the half at 23-22, but Tulane scored the final four points to take the halftime advantage.

Williams led all scorers with 10 points, while Callahan paced the Green Wave with nine first-half points. Tulane grabbed the game's first seven boards before the two teams each split the next 30 rebounds with 15 apiece.

JSU struggled out of the gates in the second half, turning it over on four possessions to set up a 9-0 Tulane run that gave the Green Wave a 37-25 lead.

JSU finally ended a 7:48 drought without a field goal at the 10:46 mark of the second half, when Williams knocked a trey that set up another from Gaines that cut the deficit to five. The run continued with another Gaines 3-pointer that capped a 13-3 stretch that pulled JSU to within a pair at 40-38 with 8:42 to play.

The Gamecocks pulled to within three points seven times down the stretch but could never get any closer before the Green Wave put the game away from the free throw line in the final minutes.

The Gamecocks will return home on Saturday for the first time since Nov. 19. They host Eastern Kentucky to start Ohio valley Conference play at 7 p.m. CT in Pete Mathews Coliseum.