WILMINGTON, N.C. – Jacksonville State will head in to the Christmas break on a positive note after posting a 57-56 come-from-behind win over East Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon in the second game of the 2014 Seahawks Hampton Inn Christmas Invitational, hosted by UNCW.

The Gamecocks finish up the week-long road trip with a 2-1 mark and an 8-3 overall record as they head in to the final non-conference contest on Dec. 29 at home against Mercer.  ETSU, who entered the weekend having won four straight dropped both contests in the UNCW event and fell to 7-6.  The Buccaneers previously had wins over Ohio Valley Conference foes Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State.

Jax State trailed for nearly 33 minutes of the 40-minute contest and erased the ETSU lead at the 4:43 mark of the final half after a three-point play by Miranda Cantrell, which gave JSU a 50-49 advantage and a lead that it would not surrender the rest of the way.  Jax State, which trailed by as many as eight in the game and six in the second half, put together an 11-0 run to overcome the deficit and made defensive stops down the stretch.  The Bucs finished the game 3-of-13 from the field.

While JSU finished the neutral site tilt shooting 28 percent from the field, balanced it out at the free throw line as it was 19-of-26 from the free throw line in the second half alone and scored the final seven points from the line.  JSU knocked down 23-of-32 from the charity stripe for the contest.  Senior Candace Morton hit the final free throw to give the Red and White 57 points and would need that free throw as ETSU's Tianna Tarter hit a three-pointer at time ran out for the one-point win.  Tarter was ETSU's offense in the second half as she scored 19 of her game-high 26 points in the final half.  She hit six of ETSU's 11 made baskets in the second half.  ETSU finished 22-of-60 from the field.

After shooting 44 percent from the field in the opening half of Friday's game against Charleston Southern, JSU struggled knocking down shots in the first 20 minutes as it hit 7-of-29 from the field and managed just 20 points in the opening half.  ETSU was slightly better from the field with 11-of-34 from the field.  After JSU took a brief 20 second lead at 6-4 with 17:21 in the first half, the Buccaneers took advantage of Jax State's shooting struggles and put together a 16-7 run over the next 11:28 to take a 20-13 lead.  ETSU's largest lead of the half was an eight point, 26-18 margin just before the intermission.

JSU junior Destany McLin scored eight of JSU's 20 first-half points and finished with 11 total points and 10 rebounds.  She registered a pair of double-doubles on the weekend.  She finished with 21 points and 10 boards on Friday against CSU.  Sophomore Briana Benson led all Gamecock scorers with 13 points, including 10 points in the second half. 

Cantrell turned in double figures for the fifth time in the last seven games with 10 points and was two rebounds away from another double-double.  Senior Candace Morton scored nine points with seven from the free throw line.  Senior Courtney Strain pitched in nine points.

Outside of Tarter, ETSU did not have a double figure scorer in the game.  Destiny Mitchell added eight points.  The Bucs entered the game averaging 73.9 points per game.  In two games in Wilmington, they scored 48 and 56 respectively.

The Gamecocks will break for the Christmas holiday and reconvene after the break to prepare for their final non-conference game of the season on Monday, Dec. 29.  JSU will take on the Bears of Mercer at Pete Mathews Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.  All fans 18 and under are admitted free at all JSU basketball games.