UNIVERSITY PARK, Penn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team came up short at Penn State on Monday, falling 76-61 to the Big 10 foes.
 
Jacksonville State's Jason Burnell scored the first double-double of the season for the Gamecocks (0-2), posting 14 points and 12 rebounds. The senior reeled in 10 defensive rebounds and was 5-for-12 from the floor.
 
Lamar Stevens and Rasir Bolton scored 25 points each for Penn State, accounting for more than 65 percent of the Nittany Lions' point total. Bolton, who was not in Patrick Chambers' starting five, helped PSU to 30 points off the bench.
 
"I thought we put ourselves in a good position to win tonight," head coach Ray Harper said. "I thought our team played extremely hard. On the road against a Big 10 team, I thought we were right there with a chance.
 
"We're going to get better. We're still missing some things offensively, as far as ball movement, but that will come. I thought we were better tonight, but we need to improve offensively and rebound the ball better."
 
The Gamecocks led by as much as four halfway through the first period, up 18-14 with 9:21 to go before halftime. Burnell had scored 10 points, thus far, and the JSU defense had held the Penn State shooters to 0-for-8 from long range.
 
The Nittany Lions flipped the script soon after, erasing the four-point deficit by hitting five of their next eight 3-point attempts. PSU outscored the Gamecocks 23-14 through the final eight minutes to take a 37-32 lead to the locker room.
 
After scoring 12 first-half points, the Penn State defense shortened its leash on Burnell. For the remainder of the game, Burnell was held to two points with one of six shots falling. Christian Cunningham stepped up during Burnell's drought, scoring all 10 of his points in the second half. This coming after Cunningham didn't take a shot in the opening period.
 
The PSU lead was whittled down to six points, 61-55, with 4:44 remaining, but 15-6 run by the Nittany Lions put away any chance Jacksonville State had of escaping Bryce Jordan Center with a win.
 
Redshirt-senior Detrick Mostella scored a season-high 17 points, eclipsing Burnell's 16 scored at Samford. The first-year Gamecock was 7-for-16 with one 3-pointer.
 
JSU's six-day road trip wraps up Wednesday with a visit to Bradley University. The second game of the Cancun Challenge's U.S. Regional is set for 7 p.m. in Peoria, Ill.
 
Season tickets and single-game 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).