JACKSONVILLE – Jason Burnell tied his single-game high with 30 points Saturday night as the Jacksonville State men's basketball team downed Tennessee State 84-65 at Pete Mathews Coliseum, sweeping the season series.
 
Burnell sank a career-best 10 baskets and was 9-for-9 from the free-throw line during the Gamecocks (19-8, 11-3 OVC) 19-point drumming of the Tigers (8-18, 5-9 OVC).
 
"He got a lot against the zone," head coach Ray Harper said. "I thought he did a good job of letting the game come to him. I thought he got fouled a few times and didn't get the call, but he didn't get frustrated. I think he would've gotten frustrated two or three weeks ago. He continued to play and let the game come to him."
 
JSU's defense held Tennessee State to just 20 points and forced 13 turnovers through the first 20 minutes. The Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 16-4 off mistakes, and a 37-20 rebounding matchup helped Jacksonville State to a 17-point advantage at halftime.
 
"I thought we were really good during the first half," Harper said. "I didn't think we were as good defensively in the second half. We had too many breakdowns that we have to get corrected by next week."
 
TSU scored the game's first basket and reclaimed a one-point lead after three minutes of play, but Jacksonville State answered with a Burnell layup and took a double-digit lead by the under-12 media timeout.
 
Burnell tallied 15 points in the first period, coming up just three points short of his record for points scored in a single half. It was his highest scoring total in a first half for the Deland, Fla., native.
 
Jacksonville State edged the Tigers with a 47-45 second-half score. The Tigers' Stokley Chaffee scored nine of his team-leading 17 points in the period, but it wasn't enough to out-work Burnell. The JSU senior tacked on 14 more points.
 
The Gamecocks reached their largest lead just three minutes into the stanza, going ahead by 25.
 
Senior Jamall Gregory scored 13 points for the game and added another highlight-reel dunk to his already-impressive resume, while junior point guard Ty Hudson tallied 10 on the night. Hudson was 4-for-7 from the field with a 3-pointer.
 
The Gamecocks return to Pete Mathews Coliseum Thursday, Feb. 21 to begin their final home weekend of the regular season. Morehead State visits Thursday at 7:15 p.m., and Eastern Kentucky comes to The Pete Saturday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. on Senior Night.
 
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).