LAS VEGAS, Nev.  – Nearly two thousand miles away from home, the Jacksonville State men's basketball team found friendly confines within the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. on Friday. The Gamecocks won their third-straight game over the last two seasons in the Global Sports Classic with a 61-38 victory over Cal State Fullerton.

It marked just the second win over a Big West Conference basketball opponent for JSU, and the first since a 73-66 win over California-Santa Barbara in 2002. A stifling defense was key all day as Jax State forced 15 turnovers and held the Titans to more than 40 points below their season-scoring average.

Erik Durham scored a season-high 20 points, and Christian Cunningham pitched in a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Durham was 6-for-9 from 3-point range, going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the second half, while Cunningham and junior Norbertas Giga each set career highs collecting 12 rebounds apiece. Twenty of the 24 total came on defense as CSF shot 25.6 percent from the field for the day.  

Both teams took a little while to find a rhythm. JSU opened the game 2-for-10 from the floor, while CSF shot just 31-percent in what was the lowest first-half scoring by both teams combined in a JSU contest thus far this season. Once everyone settled in, JSU found a balanced attack as nine Gamecocks made their way into the scoring column during the opening 20 minutes of action.

Eight minutes into the opening half, the struggling Gamecock offense found a boost in freshman Tyrik Edwards. Trailing 9-6, Derrick Green got things started with a free throw to pull JSU within a pair. His second attempt was missed but hauled in off the board by the Gamecocks and put back by Edwards to even the score. The Hopkinsville, Ky. native stole the Titans' half-court inbound attempt on the following possession and took it to the basket to spark a 9-0 run.

A Titan free throw at the 8:33 mark ended the streak, but the Gamecocks continued to increase their lead, reaching a seven-point advantage with just over four minutes remaining in the half following a trey from Andre Statam to make it 24-17. CSF fought back closing it to a two-point contest with just under a minute to go, but a pair of free throws from Greg Tucker in the final seconds sent the Gamecocks into halftime up 28-24.

The Gamecocks began the second-half scoring when Drumwright found a cutting Cunningham who slammed it home. Springfield, Mo., product Erik Durham then found his groove from downtown as the senior opened the second half 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Durham's second 3-pointer came at the 11:16 mark to give Jax State the first double-digit lead of the game at 40-29.
 
Ray Harper's squad maintained the pressure down the stretch, en route to turning a 10-point lead into 20 as Durham continued his hot afternoon from the outside going a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range in the second half to reach a season-high.

The Gamecocks return to the court tomorrow to face either Alabama State or Northern Arizona. JSU will play at either 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.

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