JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State got off to a fast start and then held off Northern Colorado for a 79-76 win on Monday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The win was due in large part to a 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) shooting night from the free throw line, highlighted by sophomore guard
Malcolm Drumwright's perfect 9-for-9 night from the line as part of his game-high 28-point performance.
After Northern Colorado tied the game at 71 with 1:36 remaining in the game,
Christian Cunningham's layup combined with two Drumwright free throws gave Jacksonville State a four-point lead with under 25 seconds left to play. The Bears got within two points of tying the score in the game's closing seconds, but two more Drumwright free throws along with two made free throws from
Jeremy Watson helped sealed the Gamecocks' fourth win on the season.
In his third straight start, junior guard
Greg Tucker was just one-point shy of tying his career-high during the first half. He went on to score five more points during the game's final 20 minutes to set a new career-high with 15 points in 37 minutes of game action. He also had five rebounds.
Watson and Cunningham added 10 points apiece while Cunningham brought down a game-high seven rebounds along with a game-high three blocks.
JaQuail Townser chipped in six points, all coming from behind the 3-point arc, while
Jared Hamilton and
DelFincko Bogan both had five.
For Northern Colorado, Dallas Anglin had a team-high 23 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field, seven of eight from the free throw line. Jordan Wilson added to the Bears' comeback attempted by finished with 12 points while Anthony Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds. Jordan Davis chipped in with eight points while Spencer Mathis, Ibrahim Sylla and Tanner Morgan all had five points on the night.
Rounding out the scoring for the Bears, Jeremy Verhagen had six points and Miles Sewards scored two points.
Green and his team will break for the Christmas holidays before returning to action on December 29th when the Gamecocks travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcasted on SEC Network +.
