MOREHEAD, Ky. – Sophomore Ashton Spears scored a season-high 13 points and knocked down the final two free throws of the game to lead Jacksonville State to a 58-57 victory over Morehead State Thursday at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.
 
Trailing 57-56 with three seconds remaining, Spears drove to the basket and was fouled. The sophomore went to the line and hit both free throws, putting the Gamecocks by one. Morehead State's Jordan Walker fired up a last-second 3-pointer, but the shot was errant to give JSU its third win in Morehead in as many years.
 
"Ashton made some plays," head coach Ray Harper said. "He had a big 3-pointer for us and gave us some screening action. He went and made a great play on the last play of the game to give us the win."
 
The nationally-televised game was a whirlwind of lead changes and runs. Both the Gamecocks (14-6, 5-2 OVC) and Eagles (5-13, 1-6 OVC) held leads of nine points, and the lead exchanged hands 15 times.
 
Junior Jason Burnell set a career-high with 20 points, topping his previous record of 16 scored against Morehead State Dec. 30 in Jacksonville. The DeLand, Fla., native was 8-for-11 and 3-for-6 from long range. Along with Malcolm Drumwright's back-to-back 20-point performances against Murray State and Austin Peay last week, Burnell extends the Gamecocks' streak of at least one player scoring 20 points in a game to three.
 
Fifteen of Burnell's 20 points came in the first half. The Gamecocks led the Eagles 26-25 at the break with most numbers nearing even between the two squads. JSU outscored MSU 8-6 in the paint and 9-7 off turnovers, but Jacksonville State was out-rebounded 19-14 and out-scored 7-4 on second-chance points.
 
Jacksonville State jumped out to a 9-point lead to begin the second half, claiming its largest lead of the night at the 16:59 mark. Despite the 34-25 advantage, Morehead State stormed back with a 10-point run to reclaim the lead. The Eagles would then go up by nine, 48-39, with 8:24 remaining in the game.
 
The Gamecocks chipped away at the Morehead lead, whittling the Eagles' advantage back to one with a 9-1 run. MSU retained the lead up until the final three seconds when a foul by Lamontray Harris sent Spears to the line for the final two foul shots of the game.
 
The next stop for the Gamecocks is Eastern Kentucky Saturday at 6 p.m. in Richmond, Ky. Jacksonville State goes into the game in search of its first ever win inside Alumni Coliseum. The contest is set to broadcast on the OVC Digital Network.
 
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).