CENTRE, Ala. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team claimed its third consecutive win with a 101-61 victory over Carver College on Wednesday. The win came before a near-capacity crowd at Cherokee Arena on Gadsden State's Centre campus.
 
Six different Gamecocks scored in double figures, led by a 19-point performance from Jason Burnell. For the third time this season, the senior paced JSU (3-3) in both points and rebounds, snagging seven boards in 25 minutes of play.
 
Freshman De'Torrion Ware scored a career-high 16 points on 4-for-6 from the field with two 3-pointers and 6-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Detrick Mostella and Jamall Gregory each tallied 12 points, Derek St. Hilaire pocketed 11 points and Christian Cunningham finished with 10. It was the first time five or more Gamecocks have scored double-digit points since five accomplished the feat Feb. 22, 2018 against Belmont.
 
Despite a 40-point victory in the end, Carver (0-11) kept within striking distance for most of the first half. It wasn't until the 7:37 mark that the Gamecocks put more than 10 points between them and the Cougars, going up 26-15 on a St. Hilaire jumper. Before the end of the half, JSU widened the gap to 18 points, 45-27, with the help of an eight-point rally by Hilaire that saw the sophomore score a basket at the buzzer.
 
"We were very lackadaisical on the defensive end in the first half," head coach Ray Harper said. "I was just wanting to get to halftime so I could speak my mind. We had to be better in the second half, and I thought the group that finished the first half was the best group we had. I thought they set the tempo for how we were going to come out and play the second half."
 
Following the break, a focused JSU squad outscored Carver 56-34 in the final period. Of Ware's 16 points scored, 15 came in the second half. It was the freshman's final basket, a dunk with 35 seconds to go, that put the Gamecocks' point total over the century mark.
 
Jacksonville State's 101-point showing on Wednesday marks the first time a JSU team has reached 100 points in a single game since last season's opener Nov. 10, 2017 against Tennessee Wesleyan.
 
On the defensive side of the court, the Gamecocks blocked 10 Carver shots. Junior Jacara Cross had the majority of the rejections, swatting six. It's the second time in his career he blocked five-or-more shots. Meanwhile, Gregory led JSU in steals with four while the rest of the defense totaled 12.
 
Jacksonville State returns to action Saturday in Florence, Ala., with a noon matchup against North Alabama. It is set to be the first meeting between the two rivals since the 1992-93 season when Bill Jones led the Gamecocks to a 109-95 win over the Lions at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
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).