Jax State
MARTIN METHODIST (exhibition)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Methodist | 28 | 50 | 78 |
| Jacksonville State | 38 | 42 | 80 |
11/4/2013 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Junior D.J Felder grabbed what would have been a school-record 19 rebounds and senior Brian Williams scored 24 points to help the Jacksonville State men's basketball team pull off an 80-78 exhibition victory over Martin Methodist at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Monday night.
Felder, in just his second game in a JSU uniform, became the first player in the school's Division I history to grab 19 rebounds in a game, but the record won't count because it was in the Gamecocks' final exhibition game of the preseason. He pulled down one more than the school's Division I record of 18, which has been accomplished four times since JSU moved up in 1995.
His double-double of 13 points and 19 boards joined Williams and junior Darion Rackley in the trio of JSU players that scored in double figures. Williams' 24 led the way, with he and Rackley each going 7-for-15 from the floor and Williams making seven of his nine free throw attempts.
JSU needed every bit of its offensive production to hold off a pesky Redhawks team that wouldn't go away. They trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, but a barrage of 3-pointers in one stretch helped them tie the game twice in the final minutes.
Felder also blocked three shots, dished three assists and grabbed a pair of steals in the win. Rackley added 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field for a JSU team that connected on just 18-of-35 free throw attempts in the game. MMC used a 20-for-24 night at the charity stripe to stick around.
The Gamecocks finished the game shooting 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the field but struggled to make free throws in the second half, connecting on just 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) from the charity stripe.
Brian Blackmon led the Redhawks with 26 points and 10 rebounds while hitting 12-of-14 free throws on the night. In the second half, Martin Methodist connected on 7-of-14 shots from behind the arc while making 13-of-16 free throws to outscore the Gamecocks 50-42 in the final half.
Overall, the Redhawks converted on 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) shots from the free throw line while shooting 25-of-60 (41.7 percent) from the field on the night.
The Gamecocks outscored the Redhawks 20-8 over the final 6:13 of the first half to build a 38-28 lead at the break. With JSU trailing 20-18, Williams knocked down a 3-point shot while being fouled. His free throw then gave JSU a 22-20 lead and sparked an 18-4 run that helped JSU pull away at the half.
Junior Jamal Hunter then made 1-of-2 free throws with 11:50 left in the game to give JSU a 14 point lead at 55-41. From there, the Redhawks fought back to cut the lead to 63-62 after back-to-back 3-point buckets during a 9-2 run with 7:12 remaining.
The Gamecocks then answered with five unanswered points after Felder hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line twice in between a 3-point bomb from Williams to extend the lead to 68-62. The Redhawks then went on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 70-70 after Darius Woods was fouled while converting a layup. His free throw attempt then tied the game with 3:43 to go.
The two teams then swapped buckets to tie the game at 72-72 with 2:07 to play. From there, the Gamecocks made key stops on the defensive end while connecting on 6-of-10 from the free throw line to hold off the Redhawks comeback attempt.
JSU will kick off the 2013-14 season with a three-game road trip to the state of Illinois. JSU will first travel to Peoria, Ill., to face Bradley in the season opener before facing off against Illinois on Sunday and Chicago State on Tuesday. Fans can listen to all games on the JSU Radio Network and can watch the Illinois game on Sunday on ESPN3.
