NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team improved to 2-0 to begin Ohio Valley Conference play for the third season in a row under head coach Ray Harper with a 69-62 win over Tennessee State on Saturday.
 
A couple of late 3-pointers from senior Detrick Mostella and junior Ty Hudson lifted the Gamecocks (10-5, 2-0 OVC) over the Tigers (3-11, 0-2 OVC) for just the third time in 17 trips to TSU's Gentry Center.
 
"We did some things really out of character tonight," Harper said. "We weren't mentally there in the first half, but we gained our composure and made some plays down the stretch. Mostella banged a big 3-pointer and we hit our free throws there at the end."
 
After leading at the half, a couple of technical fouls that went against the Gamecocks midway through the second period allowed Tennessee State to climb back into the lead. TSU guard Tripp Davis converted all four free throws on the fouls before hitting a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 48-47 lead at 10:44.
 
The TSU advantage grew to as much as four until Hudson and Mostella struck in the last four minutes of play. Down by one, Hudson hit a 3-pointer to make it a 58-56 game in favor of the Gamecocks, and Mostella dropped a triple two possession later to give JSU a five-point lead.
 
Jacksonville State then proceeded to hit eight straight free throws in the closing minute to push the game out of reach by seven points.
 
Mostella didn't miss a shot all night, going 4-for-4 from the field with three 3-pointers and four free throws. The guard tallied 15 points – his third-highest total of the season – along with a steal and two rebounds.
 
A neck-and-neck first half saw the Gamecocks pull away within the last 10 minutes to take a 34-25 lead to the locker room. Tied 15-15, Mostella and Jacara Cross combined for eight straight points in the next two minutes to put the Gamecocks ahead with 7:18 remaining before the half. Mostella was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line with a 3-pointer, while Cross hit three freebies during the stretch.
 
JSU put up 11 points to the Tigers' 10 to push the Gamecock advantage to nine before the half's horn.
 
Hudson finished with six points from beyond the arc and six points from the free-throw line, while Marlon Hunter racked up 13 points. Jason Burnell snagged his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The win completes the Music City sweep for the first time in the Jacksonville State's OVC history. It is the first time the Gamecocks have won their road games at both Belmont and Tennessee State in the same season, becoming just the second OVC team to accomplish the feat. Eastern Kentucky was the first to do it in 2015-16.
 
The Gamecocks return home Thursday, Jan. 10 to host Eastern Illinois in the first OVC matchup inside Pete Mathews Coliseum this season. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m., and special guest Red Panda, the world-famous acrobat, will perform at halftime. JSU then welcomes SIUE to The Pete for a 4 p.m. contest on Saturday.
 
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).