FINAL STATS

MURRAY, Ky. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team led first-place Murray State for the first 32 minutes on Saturday night but couldn't hang on in a 60-59 loss to the Racers in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Gamecocks (5-22, 3-13 OVC) led by as many as 11 in the first half and held off several rallies until the Racers (20-6, 12-3 OVC) finally grabbed the lead for good with just over seven minutes to play. A 9-0 run turned a two-point JSU lead into a seven-point deficit and proved too much for JSU to overcome.

JSU got 16 points from freshman Brian Williams, thanks to a 6-for-10 night from the floor and a 2-for-4 effort from behind the arc. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native also grabbed three boards while leading a trio of Gamecocks in double figures in the scoring column. Junior Stephen Hall scored 10 points in the second half to give himself a 12-point night, while junior B.J. Miller pitched in 11.

Senior Nick Murphy led all players with 12 rebounds but struggled from the floor. The school's Division I leader in career points and rebounds went just 2-for-11 from the floor and used a 3-for-4 night from the charity stripe to score eight. He wasn't the only JSU player to struggle, as senior Jeremy Bynum, the team's third-leading scorer, scored just two after going 1-for-5 from the floor.

The Racers got 17 from Isaiah Canaan and 13 more from Isacc Miles in the win. Miles scored five in a row during that 9-0 run late in the game, making a 3-pointer and a field goal that gave MSU its first lead of the night.

The Gamecocks controlled the first half from the opening tip, holding the Racers without a field goal for almost four minutes to start the game, a stand that allowed JSU to build as much as an 11-point lead. The Gamecocks led by that many as late as after a Brice Jenkins 3-pointer at the 5:57 mark of the first half but went through an offensive slump from that point.

They wouldn't make another field goal until the 15:30 mark of the second half, allowing the Racers to pull to as close as one. They held a 34-29 lead at the half, but saw MSU score the first four points of the second half to pull to within one at 34-33 with 18:57 to play.

Hall was the Gamecock that ended that long field goal drought and did so with a long baseline jumper with 15:30 on the clock. His shot stretched a two-point lead into four and was followed by another from the same spot to put JSU up by six.

JSU turned it over on its next three possessions and Canaan made the Gamecocks pay by draining back-to-back treys to tie the score at 43-43 with 11:45 on the clock. Hall answered again with another jumper, this one from the left baseline, to put JSU back up by a bucket with just under 10 minutes remaining.

After missing his first five attempts from behind the arc, Isaac Miles finally dialed one up with 7:18 on the clock. His shot from the top of the key gave the Racers their first lead of the night at 46-56 and started a 9-0 MSU run that put the home team up 52-45 with 5:14 remaining.

The Gamecocks got a jumper from Hall and a 3-pointer from Williams to pull to within two at the four-minute mark and would keep it there until the final minute. Trailing 56-54 with 62 seconds to play, JSU forced Canaan to turn it over but couldn't capitalize. Murphy put up a contested bucket in the lane that fell short, and the Racers would convert at the line to hold off JSU.

The Gamecocks will return home for their final game in Pete Mathews Coliseum on Tuesday. The will host Austin Peay at 7 p.m. on Senior Night, when JSU's three seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony. It will also be Dollar to Holler night at The Pete, and all general admission tickets will be just $1.