NICEVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team came up one basket short of the Emerald Coast Classic championship Saturday, falling 63-60 to Chattanooga at Northwest Florida State's Raider Arena.
 
Despite leading by as much as nine in the first half, the Mocs used a couple of timely runs to catch the Gamecocks at the half and control the second period by two points.
 
"I thought we played well today," head coach Ray Harper said. "I saw some things today that we've been looking for. We executed pretty much the entire game, but we had some breakdowns late and gave up some 3-pointers. Other than that, I thought we were really good."
 
Senior Jacara Cross scored a career-high 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while fellow senior Ty Hudson fought for 12 points on five buckets. Sophomore De'Torrion Ware led the Gamecocks with 10 boards.
 
The first half sped by with only eight fouls whistled – four for both teams. Neither team went to the free-throw line the entire period.
 
Cross and junior Martin Roub each tallied six points in the first half and helped the Gamecocks to a nine-point advantage with 7:05 to go before the break. Roub ended the day with nine points – all coming from beyond the arc on three shots.
 
Down 23-14, that's when Chattanooga came alive and strung together a 10-point run to take a 24-23 lead going to the locker room. The UTC defense kept JSU off the board through the last seven minutes of the half, while the Mocs' offense was fueled by back-to-back Matt Ryan 3-pointers.
 
Jacksonville State came out firing after the break and regained the lead on Hudson's lone 3-pointer, but Chattanooga regained the advantage only four possessions later and did not relinquish it again.
 
The game came down to JSU inbounding with less than two seconds remaining on the clock. Down by three, Derek St. Hilaire dribbled twice off the inbound and threw up a half-court shot on the move, but the attempt fell short as the horn sounded.
 
Following his 22-point performance against Chicago State on Friday and his four points against the Mocs on Saturday, St. Hilaire was named to the Emerald Coast Classic All-Tournament Team.
 
Next on the schedule for Jacksonville State is Missouri Valley foe George Mason. The Gamecocks will fly from Florida to Washington, D.C. Sunday to prepare for their Tuesday matchup against the Patriots. Tip-off in Fairfax, Va., is set for 6 p.m.
 
For more information on the JSU men's basketball team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUGamecocksMBB) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksMBB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocks).