PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team turned in a win over North Florida Wednesday afternoon at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, outlasting the Ospreys 83-78 to claim the Cancun Challenge Mayan Division Championship.
 
Senior Jason Burnell had one of the biggest games of his career, scoring a personal-best 23 points and reeling in 10 rebounds en route to his second double-double of the season and a Cancun Challenge All-Tournament nod.
 
Senior Jamall Gregory was named to the Cancun Challenge's All-Tournament Team and deemed the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The guard scored 16 points and was 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in the tournament's finale, bringing his two-day point total to 31 with eight steals.
 
"I thought we got better," head coach Ray Harper said. "Defensively, I thought we were okay and our press was good to us again, but we still have to be better. Like I told our kids, I thought we made some strides, and we have to get better when we get home. That has to be our process every day. We have to get better."
 
Jacksonville State (2-3) led by as many as eight points early, building up its lead with the help of a 16-5 run that saw Ty Hudson score all six of his first-half points in the game's first seven minutes. The Gamecock defense kept North Florida (2-4) out of the paint through the first nine minutes, forcing eight of the Ospreys' 11 shots to be from beyond the arc. North Florida only hit three 3-pointers during the stretch.
 
UNF turned the tables in the last half of the first period, finding its rhythm from long range. JT Escobar led the attack, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while the rest of the Osprey offense was 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the final 11 minutes of the half. In taking a 42-37 lead to the locker room, 27 of UNF's points scored came on the trey.
 
Following the break, Jacksonville State came back to the court and answered by scoring 15 of the half's first 19 points to take a 52-46 lead. Burnell was 5-for-10 with a 2-pointer and three free throws for 14 points, and Gregory added 12 points to his four from the first 20 minutes.
 
Despite some late-game dramatics and fouls that put the lead in jeopardy, 81-78 with three seconds to play, Jacksonville State controlled the score from the 16:17 mark forward.
 
"Once we got down at the half, we were going to come after them the entire second half," head coach Ray Harper said. "Our offense struggled at times against their man, but we played well against the zone and did a good job of getting the ball to Burnell later in the game."
 
Along with Burnell and Gregory, Marlon Hunter finished in double-digits with 13 points and Hudson claimed 10. Senior Maurice Dunlap was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, hitting some big free throws down the line that put the game out of reach.
 
North Florida's Escobar led the Ospreys in scoring with 24 points. All 24 of his points came off 3-pointers (8-for-14). He had just one attempt within the arc.
 
The Cancun Challenge brings an end to a five-game away stretch to begin the season. The Gamecocks return to Alabama to play host to Carver College on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 11:30 a.m. The game is set to be played in Centre, Ala., at Cherokee Arena on the Gadsden State-Centre campus.
 
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).