MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team erased an early deficit but couldn't hold off the defending champion and preseason favorites in the Mid-American Conference in an 89-83 loss at Central Michigan.
The Gamecocks turned an early 18-point Chippewas lead into a five-point game in the second half, but the home team was able to pull away for its 17th win in 18 home games over the past two years. Rayshawn Simmons and Braylon Rayson put CMU on their backs to score 30 and 28 points, respectively.
JSU entered the game with nine newcomers, tied for the seventh-most in Division I this season. The Gamecocks didn't let a pair of runs put them away, as they pulled as close as four late in the game before time ran out on them.
JSU got a career-high 26 points from sophomore
Malcolm Drumwright, while freshman
Jared Hamilton added 16 and junior
Erik Durham scored 10 in their collegiate debuts. Drumwright, a native of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., scored 17 twice in his freshman season, and his 26 on Friday were the most by a Gamecock in a season opener since Brandon Crawford scored 28 at South Carolina to open the 2008-09 season.
CMU got to the free throw line 41 times and took advantage, making 31 of those attempts. A year after a record-breaking year from 3-point range, the Chippewas picked up where they left off by connecting on 8-of-19 attempts from behind the arc. JSU struggled early from outside, going 6-for-19 from 3-point range after making three of its first 13 attempts from outside.
JSU won the battle on the glass, outrebounding CMU 35-33, thanks to nine boards from Hamilton and seven from senior
Jeremy Watson, who also scored seven points. The Gamecocks forced 13 turnovers and committed just eight.
The Gamecocks exchanged blows with the Chippewas early before a scoring drought allowed CMU to pull away. The home team led by as many as 18 in the first half but Drumwright and Hamilton started bringing the Gamecocks back into it.
The duo combined for 21 points in the first 20 minutes, with Drumwright leading the way with 11, and JSU was able to cut it to a 43-32 game at the intermission. Simmons led CMU with 14 points, while Rayson added 10.
The Gamecocks kept nipping at the deficit to start the second half, pulling to within five on a
JaQuail Townser jumper that made it a 45-40 game with 17:03 on the clock.
Rayson went on a run for the Chippewas, scoring 10 in a row for his team to stretch the CMU lead back to double digits at 59-48 with 13:30 to play. They led by as many as 19 with just over five minutes to play, but the Gamecocks scored nine in a row to cut the deficit to 81-71 with three minutes to play.
JSU never gave in, pulling as close as six at 83-77 with 1:15 left and then making it a four-point game at 87-83 with 13 ticks left on the clock. CMU connected from the stripe to put the game out of reach.
The Gamecocks return to Pete Mathews Coliseum for back-to-back home games on Sunday and Monday. They will host Fort Valley State at 2 p.m. Sunday before welcoming Oakwood for a 7 p.m. game on Monday. For tickets, visit www.jsugamecocksports.com. JSU students and all fans ages 18 and under receive free admission to all JSU home basketball games.
