LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO | FREE LIVE VIDEO
JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team looks to build upon its 10-3 start on Thursday, when it hosts Belmont in a key Ohio Valley Conference game at 7 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Admission is free for fans ages 18 and under.
After wrapping up what was a very successful 2012 calendar year on Monday, the Gamecocks usher in 2013 by welcoming a very talented Belmont team to the Ohio Valley Conference. The Bruins visit Pete Mathews Coliseum for their first Ohio Valley Conference game after joining the league from JSU's old league, the Atlantic Sun Conference, after last season.
Belmont joined the A-Sun just before the Gamecocks left for the OVC, and the two played five times from 2000--03. JSU holds a 3-2 advantage in the series and is 2-1 at home against the Bruins.
Belmont joins the OVC after a very successful run in the A-Sun. Over the last nine seasons, the Bruins have won 20 games seven times and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times, including last season as the A-Sun Champs.
The Gamecocks try to carry momentum from a 10-3 start into 2013 and look to build upon their first 2-0 start in the league since starting 3-0 in 2005-06. Their 64-54 win at UT Martin on Monday gave them 10 wins before New Year's Day for just the fourth time in school history and the first time in the program's 18-year Division I history. It was also JSU's 20th win in the 2012 calendar year, one that saw them post a 20-11 record and an 11-3 record at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
In JSU's win over UTM, senior
Tarvin Gaines took advantage of a physical game by going to the hoop and drawing contact. His 13-for-15 night from the free throw line keyed a 23-point effort, just the second 20-point performance of his JSU career.
The Bruins bring one of the top backcourts in the OVC into The Pete, with guard Ian Clark averaging 17.4 points per game and guard Kerron Johnson pitching in 13.8 points per contest.
The game will be the first in a two-game homestand for JSU, who also hosts Tennessee State at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
