RICHMOND, Ky. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team claimed the program's first win at Eastern Kentucky's Alumni Coliseum Saturday night, topping the Colonels 68-60 for the season sweep.
 
Prior to Saturday's victory, the Gamecocks (15-6, 6-2 OVC) were 0-13 against EKU (8-13, 2-6 OVC) in Richmond. It's the second time this season head coach Ray Harper has led JSU to a first on the road, recording the program's first win at Belmont's Curb Center on Jan. 6.
 
"We should have won a game in here last year," Harper said. "But I thought our guys competed tonight. We're still a little bit out of sync offensively, but we were great defensively aside from fouls. We have to do a better job of getting away from drivers and putting our hands on guys. We have to be better."
 
Senior Malcolm Drumwright scored 20 points, posting his third 20-point performance in four games, and extended a streak of at least one Gamecock scoring 20 points in a contest to four games.
 
Junior Jason Burnell totaled 15 points, shooting 6-for-14 with a couple of free throws, and senior Norbertas Giga was good for 12 points off the bench. The 7-foot Giga was 4-for-5 from the floor, hit a 3-pointer and was 3-for-5 from the charity stripe.
 
Jacksonville State took a 31-26 lead into the locker room after the first period, battling back from what had been a half controlled mostly by Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels held the advantage for 11 minutes, trailing the Gamecocks for 6:16.
 
Drumwright shot 50% in the half, firing up all six of his shots from beyond the arc. The senior led JSU with nine points and three 3-pointers, while Burnell was also 50% from the floor with a second-most eight points in the period.
 
After leading 7-4, EKU went on an 11-0 run to put the Gamecocks down 15-7 after eight minutes. It wasn't until the last eight minutes of the half that Jacksonville State scored more than five points in a row.
 
The Gamecocks rallied back from the 8-point deficit with a 16-7 run to go ahead by three, 25-22, with four minutes remaining in the half. Jason Burnell scored eight of JSU's 16 points during their longest run of the half, helping the Gamecocks to score nine consecutive points.
 
Despite four stretches of four or more points at a time for EKU, Jacksonville State controlled the second half. The Gamecocks built their lead to as much as 13 halfway through the period and kept a cushion of no less than seven for the remainder of the game.
 
All 12 of Giga's points came in the second half. He saw six minutes of action and was 0-for-1 in the first half, but was a perfect 4-for-4 in the last period.
 
The Gamecocks return to Pete Mathews Coliseum Thursday, Jan. 25 to take on UT Martin at 7:30 p.m. The two-game home stand wraps up Saturday with a 7 p.m. tip against Southeast Missouri.
 
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).