NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team earned the program's first ever Ohio Valley Conference win at the Gentry Center on Saturday with an 86-79 victory over Tennessee State.
 
The Gamecocks (13-9, 5-2 OVC) remained tied for second place in the OVC East with the weekend finale win and improved to 4-1 on the road in league play. The Tigers (12-8, 4-3 OVC) remained fifth in the East ahead of last-place Eastern Kentucky despite the loss.
 
Junior Malcolm Drumwright reeled off his second 20-point game of the season, hitting a season-best four three-point baskets. The starting point guard finished 5-for-8 from the field and was 6-for-7 from the free throw line.
 
The Gamecocks owned the first half, hitting a 7-2 run to begin the contest. The defense held the Tigers scoreless through the first two minutes and didn't allow a second basket to the home team until JSU had stretched its lead to 9-2.
 
Drumwright was responsible for 12 first-half points, going an outstanding 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. The junior missed tying his career-high for treys by just one in the first period alone.
 
As a team, Jacksonville State shot 81.8% (9-for-11) from three-point range in the first; this after being held to 3-for-16 from beyond the arc at Belmont. Greg Tucker was 2-for-3, while Ashton Spears, Andre Statam and Erik Durham each pitched in one.
 
Tennessee State made it a close game in the second half, cutting the JSU half-advantage from 44-32 to 48-44 in just five minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers from Delano Spencer pulled the Tigers within four points, but a big second half from sophomore Christian Cunningham help the Gamecocks pull away.
 
Cunningham totaled 13 points with eight coming in the second period. After grabbing just one rebound in the opening half, the 6-foot-7 forward snagged eight in the last stanza alone and blocked three shots. He helped Jacksonville State retain the lead and push the advantage back to double-digits for the first time since Tennessee State's 12-4 run.
 
Five Gamecocks scored in double-figures by the night's end. Along with Drumwright's 20, Tucker, Cunningham and Norbertas Giga each registered 13, and Durham just reached the mark with 10.
 
Jacksonville State returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum Jan. 26 to host Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m., and follow the OVC East matchup with a visit from Morehead State at 11 a.m. on Jan. 28. Live stats, audio and video links will be available on the JSU schedule page at JSUGamecockSports.com.
 
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