JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team closed out the decade Saturday with a 120-56 win over Carver College at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
Sophomore De'Torrion Ware scored a career-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, knocking down seven 3-pointers, while junior Elias Harden recorded the season's first double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds.
 
"Elias played really well, and that's the kind of player we need him to be," head coach Ray Harper said. "Especially with him getting the 11 rebounds. That's big, and De'Torrion had nine rebounds. He got off to a great start and was in the zone. If De'Torrion had gotten some more open looks, we would've hit some more shots."
 
The Gamecocks (5-8) shot a hot 74.3 percent in the first half, outscoring Carver (1-15) 67-38 in the opening period. Ware scored 18 of his record-setting total in the first 20 minutes after opening the game 6-for-6 from long range.
 
The JSU defense forced the Cougars to cough the ball up 10 times in the first period, leading to 20 Gamecock points off turnovers.
 
Junior Martin Roub, who saw limited time in the second while Maros Zeliznak got some reps, scored all 14 of his points in the first by hitting six shots with two coming from beyond the arc. He and Ware were the only two Gamecocks in double-digits at the break. That changed with the second half.
 
Ware, Roub, Harden, Ty Hudson and Derek St. Hilaire each ended the game with more than 10 points. Hudson pulled up with 12 and St. Hilaire finished with 10.
 
The Jacksonville State defense held Carver to just 18 second-half points. After shooting 50 percent in the first, the Cougars managed just one basket on 22 attempts – a 4.5 percentage in the closing stanza. Their other 16 points came on free throws.
 
"I thought we did a really good job of sharing the ball on the offensive end in the first half," Harper said. "I wasn't pleased with the defense in the first half, but we held them to less than five percent shooting in the second. All of their points in the second half came off free throws, basically. But we still have to get better before we hit the road this week. We still have to improve on turnovers and free throws."
 
The Gamecocks finished out the decade with a 145-175 record since it began Jan. 2, 2010. Of those 145 wins, 72 were courtesy of Harper since he was named head coach for the 2016-17 season.
 
Jacksonville State begins Ohio Valley Conference play Thursday, Jan. 2 in Morehead, Ky., against Morehead State. The game is set to broadcast on ESPNU at 8 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).