BIRMINGHAM – Jacksonville State put a serious scare into UAB on Sunday afternoon at Bartow Arena, but the Blazers were able to do just enough to hold off the Gamecocks and escape with a 61-55 win.
 
Malcolm Drumwright and Jeremy Watson each scored 14 points to lead the Gamecocks (2-4), while Watson added seven rebounds in his hometown. The senior that prepped at Homewood High School scored eight in the second half, while Drumwright put in 12 in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Blazers (3-1) got 23 points off the bench from Chris Cokley and used a big advantage in length to outrebound JSU 40-28 and turn that into a 38-16 advantage in the paint.
 
JSU senior JaQuail Townser added 13 points and dished five assists.
 
The Gamecocks started cold from the floor, allowing the Blazers to jump to an early 15-7 lead, but UAB went cold for a stretch of its own, one that saw the home team go 2-for-9. JSU took advantage with a 10-2 spurt that was keyed by a pair of Andre Statam 3-pointers, the last of which tied the game at 17-17.
 
The Blazers made just one of their last eight attempts from the floor and the Gamecocks got to the line, where they went 9-for-10 in the half and pulled ahead to build a 28-25 halftime lead.
 
The Gamecocks held off the Blazers for the first seven minutes of the second half until a Cokley layup tied the game at 36-36 with just over 13 minutes on the clock. After a Jeremy Watson spin move and layup put JSU back up 38-36, the Blazers scored four straight to take their first lead of the second half.
 
The Blazers built a 43-39 lead on the back end of a 7-1 run, their largest since midway through the first, but JSU stormed right back with a Drumwright trey that tied it again at 48-48 with 7:12 to play.
 
The two exchanged blows over the next three minutes before UAB got a basket from William Lee, a defensive stop and two Denzell Watts free throws to rebuild a four-point lead at 56-52.
 
A Watson putback cut the deficit to two and JSU got a look to tie, but a block by Lee set up a breakaway and a dunk by Cokley that put the game out of reach.
 
The Gamecocks continue a busy start to the season on Tuesday, when they host Alabama A&M at 8 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Admission is free for JSU students and all fans ages 18 and under. The game will follow the JSU women's game against Samford, which starts at 5:30 p.m.