Box Score

NASHVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Belmont until a red-hot second half propelled the Bruins to a 78-67 win over the Gamecocks in the first game of the 2014 calendar year.

Junior Darion Rackley led the Gamecocks (7-10, 1-1 OVC) in scoring for the fourth-straight game with 15 points, but the Bruins (9-6, 1-0 OVC) blistered the nets in the second half to pull away. They shot 64 percent from eth floor, thanks to a 15-for-22 second half from the floor, and were 7-for-11 from behind the arc.

JSU answered an early Belmont spurt to claim the lead by the half and stretched it to five on the first possession of the second half, but the Bruins connected on their first eight field goal attempts of the second half to spark a 15-2 run that gave them a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Rackley was just 3-for-10 from the floor but made eight of his 10 free throw attempts to lead three JSU players with double figures in scoring. Seniors Nick Cook and Brian Williams each scored 10 points, while Cook and Jamal Hunter each grabbed a game-high six rebounds.

JSU won the battle on the glass 30-25 and had 19 second-chance points on 16 offensive boards. Rackley dished four assists, while Williams added three in his 83rd start for JSU, tying him with Nick Murphy and Walker Russell for second on JSU's Division I games started list.

Five Bruins scored in double figures, led by Craig Bradshaw's 18 on a 6-for-9 shooting night. Leading scorer JJ Mann also went 6-for-9 from the floor to score 16 points, eight in each half. Blake Jenkins didn't take a shot in the first half but went 4-for-5 in the second half to score 12 while also dishing six assists.

The Bruins dealt a blow early on, making their first four field goal attempts and nine of their first 11 to build a six-point lead. They maintained that advantage as late as 25-19 with 6:50 left in the half before the Gamecocks started crawling back.

JSU scored six in a row to tie it with just over five minutes on the clock. The two exchanged buckets three times before the Gamecocks got a pair of free throws from Teraes Clemmons and then two more from Rackley to take a 35-31 lead in the final minute.

A Belmont steal led to a bucket to tie but a Clemmons putback at the buzzer gave JSU a 37-35 lead at the half.

Rackley led all scorers with 10 points, while eight of the 10 JSU players that played in the first 20 minutes scored at least 20 points. Undra Mitchem had seven, while Williams and D.J. Felder each pitched in six.

Rackley started the second half with a 3-pointer to push JSU's lead to 40-35, but the Bruins couldn't miss early in the half. They made their first eight shots from the floor and raced to a 15-2 run that gave them a 10-point lead at 58-48 with 10:42 to play.

The Gamecocks couldn't draw within single digits, thanks to Belmont's high percentage shooting in the second half.

JSU will stay in Music City, where it will take on Tennessee State on Saturday in an OVC doubleheader. The men will play at 7:30 p.m., right after the Gamecock women's game with the Tigers at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the JSU Sports Network.