JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team improved to 3-0 to begin Ohio Valley Conference play Thursday night with 69-62 win over Eastern Illinois in front of a rowdy crowd at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
Ray Harper's Gamecock squad is the first to begin league play with a 3-0 record since the 2002-03 team when Jacksonville State was a member of the Atlantic Sun. It is the first 3-0 start in JSU's OVC history. Coincidentally, that was also the last team to win 10 of its last 12 games. Thursday, Harper led the Gamecocks to their 11th win in 13 games, matching a feat not achieved since the 1999-2000 season under then-head coach Mark Turgeon.
 
Harper gave a lot of credit to the crowd of 2,275 at The Pete for helping push Jacksonville State to the finish line.
 
"We were just talking about the crowd in the locker room," Harper said postgame. "That's one of the best crowds we've had since I've been here. I can't thank the students enough for coming out tonight.
 
"We only have eight more home games. That's eight of their nights that I don't know that they could have more fun anywhere else for a couple of hours than right here. If they keep coming, I'll make it even more entertaining for them."
 
The Gamecocks took a narrow one-point lead to the locker room at halftime after a first period that saw the lead change hands five times. Marlon Hunter scored a team-best eight points in the opening stanza, going 4-for-5 from the field, while the reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week, Josiah Wallace, paced EIU with nine points.
 
Three big runs made for an exciting second half, kicked off by a 9-0 JSU stretch. Jason Burnell hit back-to-back 3-pointers, forcing EIU head coach Jay Spoonhour to take a timeout, and Ty Hudson hit a third trey following the timeout to give JSU a 39-29 advantage after just two minutes of play.
 
Eastern Illinois found its footing and answered with a stunning 12-1 run that yielded just a Hunter free throw. EIU guard Ben Harvey scored five points during the clip, helping the Panthers to a 49-44 lead with 11:44 to play.
 
The Gamecocks rallied back immediately with a 13-0 run that kept Eastern Illinois scoreless for more than seven minutes. Jacksonville State forced three of EIU's 16 turnovers during the stretch, while Burnell and Ty Hudson each tallied six points to help JSU to a 57-49 lead.
 
For the remaining five minutes of the game, the Gamecocks outscored the Panthers 13-12 to claim a seven-point win.
 
Burnell finished the night with a team-best 18 points, while Hunter followed closely with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Detrick Mostella rounded out double-digit scoring with 12 points along with three assists. Hudson led the assists effort with four.

Eastern Illinois' Wallace finished the night with a team-high 14 points and three assists, scoring just five during the closing half.
 
Jacksonville State returns to action Saturday, Jan. 12 to host SIU-Edwardsville at 4 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The women's team is set to take on the Cougars, as well, beginning at 2 p.m. Both games will broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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 Pete Mathews Coliseum. 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).