JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team topped Tennessee Tech 66-57 on Saturday to claim its second consecutive 20-win season and secure the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Ohio Valley Conference Championships.
 
The Gamecocks (20-11, 11-7 OVC) are set to play Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Evansville, Ind., and will face the winner of Game 1 between No. 5-seeded Tennessee Tech and No. 8-seeded SIUE.
 
Marlon Hunter led a foursome of Gamecocks to score in double figures at The Hoop on Saturday. The junior totaled 14 points, followed by 12 points from Jason Burnell and 11 points from Norbertas Giga.
 
Christian Cunningham was the fourth JSU player to register double digits en route to his team-leading eighth double-double of the season. The junior bucketed 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
 
"I thought our guys competed and did what they needed to do to win the game," head coach Ray Harper said. "It was a good team win and everyone competed, but I told our guys in the locker room that there's a good chance we can see Tennessee Tech again on Thursday. We have some things to clean up against them, but getting a win here tonight and getting that bye is big."
 
Six Gamecocks contributed to a 26-point first half, led by seven points from Giga. The big man pulled down a half-best six rebounds – five on the defensive end – was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line and swatted one would-be Tennessee Tech basket.
 
JSU took care of the basketball in the first period, turning the ball over just five times, and forced six TTU turnovers. The Gamecocks managed six points off turnovers while holding the Golden Eagles to two points on TOs.
 
Jacksonville State led 26-19 at the half and did not relinquish the lead the entire second half. The Golden Eagles managed to pull within three points of the JSU lead with the help of a 7-0 run halfway through the period, but the JSU defense responded by holding TTU to no field goals for the next five minutes of play. During the stretch, the Gamecocks outscored Tennessee Tech 8-4 to regain the cushion.
 
Saturday's win locked up the Gamecocks' first back-to-back 20-wins seasons at the Division I level in program history. The last head coach to lead JSU to consecutive 20-win campaigns was hall-of-famer Bill Jones in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
 
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).