EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A career performance from freshman Tyrik Edrwards led the Jacksonville State men's basketball team to a 72-61 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Saturday.
 
Edwards bucketed a career-high 19 points against the Cougars, leading the Gamecocks (15-11, 7-4 OVC) to their seventh Ohio Valley Conference win. Junior Norbertas Giga and sophomore Christian Cunning each pitched in a double-double to go along with Edwards' strong showing.
 
After leading most of the first period, SIUE (5-20, 0-11 OVC) could not catch the Gamecocks in the second half. The closest the Cougars came to a lead in the latter half was by a one-point deficit, 34-33, with 14:13 remaining in the game.
 
Despite seeing a 10-point lead diminish, Edwards came through in the second to carry the Gamecocks to the win. Sixteen of the freshman's 19 points came in the second, while senior Greg Tucker scored all nine of his points in the period.
 
The Gamecocks battled back from a seven-point deficit in the first half to take a 29-21 lead into the break. SIUE's Burak Eslik owned the floor in the game's opening minutes, scoring seven points in five minutes. He helped put JSU down 15-8 halfway through the period.
 
Following the under-eight media timeout at the 7:26 mark, the Gamecocks mounted a tremendous 19-6 run that led to their eight-point lead at the intermission. Senior Erik Durham scored all seven of his first-half points during the stretch, and Jacksonville native Des Curry tied his career-high of three points within two minutes of stepping onto the court.
 
The Gamecocks return home Thursday, Feb. 9 to take on Belmont at 6 p.m. The matchup with the Bruins will broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Tennessee State visits Pete Mathews Coliseum just two days later for a 4:30 p.m. Saturday contest.
 
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).