MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team nearly received an early Christmas present on Saturday, but a career-game from Marlon Hunter wasn't enough to top West Virginia on the road. JSU fell 74-72 at WVU Coliseum, coming up three points shy of a win over the Power-5 Mountaineers.
 
"We had a chance," head coach Ray Harper said. "We got what we wanted on our last possession and you have to credit our kids for that. We had a great opportunity here today, and hopefully this helped prepare us for January and February.
 
Down two with eight seconds left, Ty Hudson found Jason Burnell just left of the key for a 3-point attempt. Burnell, who was 1-for-3 from long range, fired up the shot but had it miss short on the front iron.
 
"I thought we executed well," Harper said. "They went zone late, and I thought our kids did a terrific job of making the next play. Christian Cunningham was terrific today. I thought that was a good as he has played, and Marlon Hunter was good, as well."
 
Hunter recorded a career-best 26 points, topping his previous high of 23, while Cunningham was 6-for-8 with a free throw for 13 points. Burnell led on the boards with nine rebounds.
 
West Virginia forward Wesley Harris led the Mountaineers with 20 points, knocking down four of four 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Gamecock defense limited WVU's leading scorer Esa Ahmad to just two points.
 
The Gamecocks jumped on West Virginia early with a 13-5 lead thanks to an 8-0 run that included four points from Jacara Cross. The JSU defense kept the Mountaineers scoreless for more than four minutes during the stretch, forcing four turnovers for five points.
 
WVU found its shot shortly after, outscoring the Gamecocks 23-11 through the next eight minutes to take a half-best six-point lead. After missing two treys during the opening minutes, the Mountaineers hit four of nine 3-point attempts to take a 30-24 advantage.
 
The Gamecocks regained the lead briefly, 31-30 with two minutes to go before the half, but saw it disappear with six consecutive WVU points. Hunter made it a three-point game at the horn with a tip-in, 36-33.
 
The second half began with West Virginia firing up three 3-pointers, and all three fell. James Bolden, who did not score in the first, bucketed five points within the first five minutes of the second, while Wesley Harris matched the total with a 3-pointer and jumper.
 
Despite the Mountaineers' success from long range, Jacksonville State stayed competitive inside the paint. The Gamecocks outscored WVU 20-6 under the basket to hold a 39-38 advantage in the period.
 
Following the Christmas break, the Gamecocks return home Dec. 29 to take on Reinhardt at 4 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. It is the final non-conference game before JSU travels to Nashville to open OVC play against Belmont and Tennessee State.
 
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).