Box Score

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team cruised to its 400th win in Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday night, when a 77-46 defeat of UT Martin sent the Gamecocks into next week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on a three-game winning streak.

With the win, the Gamecocks (14-17, 8-8 OVC) secured the No. 7 seed in the eight-team tournament and will face sixth-seeded Austin Peay at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The four-day event will be held in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. It marks JSU's second trip to the championship in the past three seasons and its first trip to Nashville since 2005-06, when they advanced to the semifinals. This is the second year of a new format that sends all eight teams to one central location.

After the Skyhawks (4-27, 0-16 OVC) rattled off the game's first seven points, the Gamecocks woke up and put together a 22-4 run that claimed control of the game early. They built a 40-27 lead at the half and then opened the second half with a 21-6 run that put the game away.

All eight Gamecocks that saw action scored at least four points, and junior Ronnie Boggs and freshman Darion Rackley each put in 14 to lead four JSU players in double figures. Boggs, a native of Kansas City, Mo., went 7-of-10 from the floor, grabbed seven boards and dished six assists. He scored 10 in the second half.

Rackley, the reigning OVC Freshman of the Week, scored 11 of his points in the final 20 minutes. The St. Louis, Mo., native dished four assists and pulled five boards.

Sophomore Brian Williams added 12 points, 10 in the first half, while junior Tarvin Gaines pitched in 13. Freshman Grant White and sophomore Nick Cook each scored seven points. Junior Rinaldo Mafra turned in 24 quality minutes off of the bench, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds to lead JSU to a dominant 45-26 advantage on the glass.

Seven of the eight Gamecocks that played dished at least one assist in a game that saw 22 assists on the team's 31 field goals. JSU shot 50 percent from the floor and held the Skyhawks to a 15-for-50 showing from the field.

UTM was led by Mike Liabo's 20 points, an output that required him to throw up 20 shots to get. His 7-for-20 night made him the lone Skyhawk in double figures.

JSU dominated the game inside, outscoring the Skyhawks 44-16 in the paint, while holding a 12-2 advantage in fast break points.

Ticket packages for the Tournament are available through the JSU Ticket Office in Kennamer Hall, or by calling the office at 256-782-8499. Tournament books cost $80 and reserved seats are only available through JSU's ticket office. General admission seats will be all that is available at Municipal Auditorium during the week.