CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman Cam Martin scored a career-high 18 points Saturday, but it was not enough to lift the Jacksonville State men's basketball team over Austin Peay. The Govs topped the Gamecocks 60-57 despite a strong second-half JSU showing.
 
Led by Martin's 18, three Gamecocks (18-11, 9-7 OVC) scored in double figures at the Winfield Dunn Center. The freshman was 5-for-8, hitting a 3-pointer and going 7-for-10 from the free-throw line, while Jamall Gregory and Malcom Drumwright each collected 10 points.
 
Jacksonville State fought back from a 15-point hole to go to the locker room trailing 31-21. Austin Peay (16-12, 11-5 OVC) got on the board first and held the lead for the entire first period, building a 19-4 advantage by the 8:27 mark.
 
Martin helped cut the lead down to eight, scoring nine first-half points. Martin began the game with a couple of free throws and added two more to make a dent in the APSU lead. Following a Cunningham layup, the freshman knocked down a 3-pointer and hit a layup to pull the Govs' lead to eight, 21-13, at 6:11. A last-second 3-pointer from Austin Peay's Tre' Ivory stretched the lead back to 10 just before the break.
 
After being out-scored by 10 in the first half, Jacksonville State rallied to out-work the Govs 36-29 in the second half. Five minutes into the second, the Gamecocks tied the game and took a three-point advantage on a Drumwright 3-pointer two minutes later, but it would only last one minute as Austin Peay answered with back-to-back baskets to reclaim the advantage.
 
"We were 2-for-8 from the free-throw line in the last four minutes," head coach Ray Harper said. "You can't miss free throws and turn the ball over and win games this time of year. I thought we competed and did some things to get ourselves back in the game. We executed some plays late and got some good looks, but we didn't convert at the free-throw line and turned the ball over."
 
The Gamecocks were 6-for-12 from the charity stripe in the closing half, while Austin Peay was 14-for-20. Nine of Jacksonville State's 14 turnovers came in the last period.
 
The Gamecocks return home Thursday, Feb. 22 to take on Belmont at 8 p.m. The Senior Night matchup with the Bruins is set to broadcast on ESPNU. JSU will wrap up the season Saturday, Feb. 24 in Cookeville, Tenn., against Tennessee Tech at 7:30 p.m.
 
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).