CLEVELAND – Cleveland State used its size on the boards and a pair of runs to close Jacksonville State's three-game road trip with a 60-46 defeat at the Wolstein Center on Wednesday.
 
The longer and experienced Vikings (2-1), who were picked to finish second in the Horizon League in 2014-15, outrebounded the Gamecocks (0-3) and had two 9-0 runs in the win.
 
Jacksonville State got 16 points from senior D.J. Felder, who also led his team with seven boards, while fellow senior Darion Rackley added 10 points in the loss.
 
Three Vikings scored in double figures, led by Kaza Keane's 13, while Anton Grady and Marlin Mason pitched in 12 and 10, respectively. Mason led all players with eight boards to pace a 39-24 CSU advantage on the boards.
 
The Gamecocks saw a 9-0 first half run by the Vikings create some separation and another in the second half put the game away. They had a 10-0 run to cut it to an 11-point deficit but couldn't draw closer.
 
Junior Dontay Jackson added five points off  the bench for JSU, who also got five from starting guard JaQuail Townser. The Gamecocks struggled from the floor and from behind the arc, while CSU managed a 40 percent night from the field to earn the win.
 
After the two teams went back-and forth for most of the first half, the Vikings used a late run to take a double-digit lead into the locker room at the break. Townser connected on a 3-pointer with 6:20 left in the half to make it a 22-19 CSU lead.
 
The home team went on a run from there, scoring the next nine points and 12 of the final 15 to take a 34-21 halftime lead. On the final play of a half where almost nothing went the Gamecocks' way, the Vikings' Keane drained a desperation heave from his own free throw line that beat the buzzer and gave his team the 13-point advantage.
 
The Gamecocks cut the lead to 10 early on in the second half but the Vikings had another 9-0 run in them, this one to push their lead to 53-32 with 9:30 left in the game.
 
JSU went on a run of its own from that point, scoring the next 10 points to cut the CSU lead to 53-42. The Gamecocks looked to get another defensive stop before a late whistle bailed out the Vikings' Mason and sent him to the line to stop the JSU run.
 
The Gamecocks will open their home schedule on Saturday against Miles College at 4:30 p.m. in Pete Mathews Coliseum. It will be the second game of a doubleheader with the JSU women's team, who play New Orleans at 2 p.m. JSU students and all fans ages 18 and under get in free to all JSU home basketball games.