RICHMOND, Ky. – Senior D.J. Felder got red hot in the second half and almost led Jacksonville State to a comeback at Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, but the Colonels held on for a 63-57 win at McBrayer Arena.
 
Felder, a forward from Topeka, Kan., entered the game with just five career 3-pointers and hadn't hit one in his career until two weeks ago. He made five in the game, four in a span of 3:52 in the second half, but the Gamecocks (12-18, 5-10 Ohio Valley Conference) came up short against the OVC East Division leader Colonels (18-10, 10-5 OVC).
 
Felder finished the game with a career-high 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and was 5-for-9 from behind the arc to lead all scorers. He also had a game-high nine rebounds and a career-high-tying three assists.
 
The Gamecocks got 10 apiece from senior Darion Rackley and freshman Malcolm Drumwright, while senior Avery Moore added nine.
 
Moore's biggest contribution was early on the defensive end. Guarding EKU's leading scorer Corey Walden, he held the senior guard scoreless until his first field goal with 16 minutes left in the second half. Walden ended the night with 15 points, three shy of his season average. Eric Stutz and Timmy Knipp each scored 14 for the Colonels.
 
The Gamecocks shot 44 percent from the floor and 43 percent from behind the 3-point line, thanks in large part to a 9-for-16 effort in the second half. At one point, they were 8-for-12 from outside the arc in the second half.
 
The Colonels were able to convert late from the line and to hold off the Gamecocks, who shot just six free throws to EKU's 16 on the night. One of the best in the nation at forcing turnovers, the Colonels forced JSU into 17 turnovers, the most by JSU since Asheville forced 18 on Dec. 16, and 13 in the second half
 
The game was back-and-forth early, with the Gamecocks and Colonels exchanging baskets for the first 10 minutes. After seven ties and a lead change, EKU rattled off a small 8-3 run and built a 24-19 lead and took a 29-23 advantage into the half.
 
Drumwright and Felder each scored seven points for JSU in the first half, while Knipp's 12 points led the Colonels.
 
Moore and Rackley started the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to quickly tie the game, but a pair of Eric Stutz free throws put the Colonels right back on top by two at 33-31.
 
Another Rackley 3 with 14:47 on the clock gave JSU its second lead of the night and it first since the 17:42 mark in the first half at 36-35, but a jumper from Stutz on the ensuing possession answered for the Colonels.
 
The Gamecocks hit a cold stretch at that point, going over six minutes without a field goal and allowing the Colonels to build a 49-40 lead with just under eight minutes to play.
 
Felder got hot, making a pair of 3-pointers from the left corner and then two more from the top to cut it to one at 55-54 with just under three minutes on the clock.
 
Walden answered on the other end with a layup that stretched the Colonels' lead back to three, and the Gamecocks couldn't get a shot off on the other end to put the ball back in EKU's hand with a three-point lead and 1:00 to play.