NASHVILLE – Jacksonville State freshman Jared Hamilton had 21 points and nine boards but fell 61-46 at Tennessee State on Saturday night.
 
Hamilton, a true freshman from Charlotte, N.C., was 8-for-16 from the floor and was just one rebounds shy of a double-double, but the rest of the Gamecocks struggled from the floor in their sixth-straight game against one of the top three teams in the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
The Tigers shot just 40.7 percent from the floor and only 36 percent from behind the arc, but they managed enough offense to hold off JSU and claim the season series.
 
Another JSU freshman in guard DelFincko Bogan scored 12 for JSU, thanks to a 4-for-8 effort from behind the arc. He and Hamilton combined for all but 13 of the Gamecocks' points, while the rest of JSU's lineup struggled from the floor for a combined 4-for-28 shooting night.
 
Marcus Roper led the Tigers with 15 points after coming off of the bench to go 6-for-8 from the field. Another pair of bench players, Wayne Martin and Christian Griggs-Williams, each scored 10 points in the win.
 
The two went back-and-forth for part of the first half, with JSU leading as late as the 9:53 mark at 14-13. TSU scored the next six to take a five-point lead and never looked back. The Tigers took a 30-24 lead into the locker room.
 
Bothe teams went scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half, and TSU got back-to-back layups from Martin and Roper to make it a double-digit lead at 34-24 with just under 16 minutes to play.
 
The Gamecocks return home, where they will wrap up the 2015-16 season with a pair of games at Pete Mathews Coliseum. JSU will host Eastern Kentucky Thursday at 7 p.m. before concluding the season Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Morehead State on Senior Day. Admission is free for all JSU students and fans ages 18 and under.