COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Greg Tucker's 3-pointer tied the game with seven second left, but Tennessee Tech was placed on the free throw line, where they escaped with a 72-70 win over Jacksonville State that kept it in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
After battling back from five down in the final two minutes to tie the game in the final seconds, the still shorthanded Gamecocks dropped another heartbreaker against one of the OVC's best teams.
 
Tucker got a wide open look from the left side and drained it to tie the game at 70-70 with seven ticks on the clock. The junior's game-tying triple was his third of the night and capped a career-high 26-point effort from the Charleston, Mo., native.
 
After the make, TTU's Torrance Rowe brought the ball down the floor and attempted a three from the right wing, but JSU freshman man DelFincko Bogan was whistled for a foul on the shot with one second left. Rowe hit two of the three free throws to give the Golden Eagles the win and keep them in first place with just two weeks to play in the regular season.
 
The Gamecocks, playing without three starters again because of injury, got 11 points from JaQuail Townser and Bogan to accompany Tucker's big night. Tucker was 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
 
Ryan Martin led TTU with 16 points, while Hakeem Rogers added 15 and a team-high seven boards. JSU freshman Jared Hamilton led all players with eight rebounds to go along with his nine points.
 
The Golden Eagles scored the games first seven points and built an early double-digit lead at 12-2 with over 16 minutes left in the first half. JSU clawed back, pulling to within a point at 25-24 on an Andre Statam 3-pointer with 5:59 left in the half.
 
Tech held off the Gamecocks to take a 32-30 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
After the two exchanged blows to start the second half, JSU finally put itself in the lead for the first time in the game on a Tucker layup that made it a 40-39 game with 16:41 to play.
 
The Gamecocks extended their lead to six at 47-41 with 14 minutes to play, but the Golden Eagles scored the next nine points to reclaim the lead. They would stretch it to five as late as the 1:57 mark, but two free throws from Tucker with 1:34 and his three with seven seconds tied it and set up the game-winning whistle.
 
JSU will travel to Nashville to face Tennessee State Saturday at 7:30 p.m. It will be JSU's sixth-straight game against one of the top three teams in the OVC.