Jacksonville State Notes | Western Kentucky Notes

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team spent two nights at home before hitting the road again Tuesday for the season's second two-game road trip.
 
The Gamecocks are set to take on Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky., Wednesday at 8 p.m. before flying to Fort Worth, Texas to face Texas Christian University on Friday at 6 p.m. The two games are campus-site preliminaries for the 2016 Global Sports Classic. The tournament will wrap up later this month with the Gamecocks visiting Las Vegas, Nevada for the conclusion.
 
JSU is off to a 1-1 start after downing Tulsa 84-73 on the road last Friday. They followed up with a road game at Missouri State on Sunday, but the Bears claimed the contest 91-65 behind a hot-shooting offense.
 
The 11-point win over the Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla., was Jacksonville State's first season-opening win since 2012 and first over a Division I opponent since defeating Alabama A&M 74-68 to begin the 2003-04 campaign.
 
Western Kentucky tipped off its season Saturday with a 79-66 win over Alabama State. Senior guard Que Johnson paced WKU with 16 points and nine rebounds, while seven other players scored at least six points. The Hilltoppers held Alabama State to 35.1 percent shooting, including 20.6 percent in the first half.
 
For more information on the JSU men's basketball team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSU_MBB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).
 

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GAME 3
Jacksonville State (1-1) at Western Kentucky (1-0)
November 16, 2016 | 8 p.m.
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena

SERIES HISTORY
Last Meeting: 11/27/1978 (L, 71-59)
All-Time Series Record: WKU leads 1-0
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Listen: Gamecock Sports Network (WLJS 91.9 FM – Flagship)
Watch: FOX College Sports
Live Stats: Click Here
 

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NOTEWORTHY
 
• First-year head coach Ray Harper picked up his first win at JSU Friday night with an 84-73 road victory over Tulsa.
• The opening night win snapped an eight-game skid dating back to last season (W, 78-74, Jan. 24, 2016 at Morehead State).
• The Gamecocks fell 91-65 at Missouri State Sunday afternoon. The Bears hit 15 three-pointers in the lop-sided win.
• Harper returns to E.A. Diddle Arena tonight - a venue where he won 89 games and two Sun Belt Conference championships as head coach.
• Junior transfer Norbertas Giga is 2-for-2 in reaching the double-figure scoring mark this season. The Seven-foot forward followed up his 13-point performance at Tulsa with 16 points against Missouri State on Sunday. He leads JSU scorers with 29 total points.
• Six Gamecocks have debuted for Harper in 2016. Juniors Norbertas Giga and Deshawn Jones both made their debuts following transfers during the summer, while Derrick Green, Tyrik Edwards, Jacara Cross and Ashton Spears are all playing as true freshmen.
• Head coach Ray Harper picked up his first win at the helm of the Gamecocks Friday in Tulsa with an 84-73 victory over the Golden Hurricane. He became the sixth JSU head coach of the modern era to win in his debut.
• The Gamecocks' opening night win at Tulsa was their first win since last season, snapping an eight-game skid. It was the program's first season-opening victory since 2012 and first over a Division I opponent since defeating Alabama A&M 74-68 to begin the 2003-04 campaign.
• Prior to Friday's win at Tulsa, the last time the Gamecocks claimed a non-conference win over a Division I program was a 79-76 win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 21, 2015. It was also the first Division I non-conference road win since downing Alabama A&M 67-61 in Montgomery, Ala., on Nov. 25, 2014.