JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State Gamecocks topped Eastern Kentucky 76-58 Thursday night to open their Ohio Valley Conference schedule with a win.
 
Senior Norbertas Giga posted his fourth double-double of the year and 10th of his career, scoring 14 points with 13 rebounds, while junior Marlon Hunter scored a career-best 20 points in the 18-point victory.
 
The Gamecocks (10-4, 1-0 OVC) held the Colonels (6-8, 0-1 OVC) 14.8 points below their season scoring average and nearly matched EKU's scoring defensive mark of 76.3 points per game.
 
Jacksonville State allowed just 14 first-half points, outscoring EKU 32-14 in the opening period. The Gamecocks jumped out to an 11-0 lead and did not allow the Colonels to get on the board until a successful foul shot fell at the 11:58 mark. Hunter tallied nine of his 20 points in the first half, while Giga pitched in a second-best eight.
 
Nine of Eastern Kentucky's 14 points in the first came from DeAndre Dishman off the bench. Aside from the 6-foot-6 forward going 3-for-4 from the field, Jacksonville State's defense limited the EKU offense to 18.2% shooting and 0-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first.
 
EKU picked up the pace in the second half, scoring 44 points, but JSU matched the Colonels' total to hang onto the 18-point lead. Hunter finished out the second half with 11 points, while junior Christian Cunningham posted all eight of his points in the closing period. Jacksonville State matched it's 11-0 run in the first with another 11-0 run in the second, jumping from a 42-25 advantage to a 53-25 advantage in a three-minute span.
 
Jacksonville State improved to 8-7 in OVC openers with the win, having claimed five of their last six openers. The victory also snapped an 0-5 skid against the Colonels, making the first win over Eastern Kentucky since Jan. 22, 2015.
 
Head coach Ray Harper reached a historical milestone with the win, becoming the fastest head coach in JSU history to record 30 victories. Harper is 30-19 in 49 games at the helm in Jacksonville. His career record now stands at 461-146 in 19 seasons as a head coach.
 
Jacksonville State takes on Morehead State on Dec. 30 at Pete Mathews Coliseum to continue OVC play. The Gamecocks and Eagles tip at 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
 
Tickets are now available for purchase online at JSUGamecocksTickets.com, by phone at (256) 782-8499 and on campus at the JSU Ticket Office at Kennamer Hall. Children 18-years-old and under and JSU students are admitted free.
 
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).