EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team claimed the season sweep over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a 97-72 win Saturday night at the Vadalabene Center.
 
The victory secured at least third place in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season standings and made the Gamecocks (23-8, 15-3 OVC) at least the No. 3 seed in the upcoming OVC Basketball Championships in Evansville, Ind. The standings and seedings will be finalized at the end of the night once league play has ended.
 
The program's highest-ever seeding in a Division I tournament buys JSU a first-round bye. The Gamecocks are scheduled to play the winner of the No. 6 seed and No. 7 matchup Thursday, March 7 at 8:30 p.m. at the Ford Center.
 
Seniors Jason Burnell and Christian Cunningham each recorded double-doubles and were two of five Gamecocks to score in double-figures. Burnell tied his career-best with 30 points and 13 rebounds for his team-leading 15th double-double of the year, while Cunningham had 11 points and 10 rebounds for his 20th-career double.
 
Along with Burnell and Cunningham, Ty Hudson, Detrick Mostella and De'Torrion Ware finished with 11, 11 and 15 points, respectively.
 
"I thought our guys were very focused," head coach Ray Harper said. "I think it started from the very first possession. We had good ball movement, we didn't have just one pass before a shot and we moved it side-to-side well. I thought it was a really good effort, and I don't know of a better way to lead into a conference tournament."
 
Jacksonville State led the Cougars (10-20, 6-12 OVC) 50-20 at the end of the first half following a tough defensive showing through the first 20 minutes. JSU held SIUE to just 23.3 percent shooting, allowing just seven of 30 shots to fall. Edwardsville committed seven turnovers, including one steal each from Jamall Gregory and Hudson. Cunningham tallied two blocks, as well.
 
On the offensive end, Burnell led the Gamecocks with 21 points at the break. He was just two rebounds shy of his double-double when the clock hit zero at the end of the opening period.
 
The 30-point halftime advantage was the largest of the season for JSU, and widest since leading 38-24 over SIUE in the season's first meeting Jan. 12 at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
Edwardsville made up some ground in the second, cutting the JSU lead to 25 with the help of seven 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes. The Cougars had just one trey the entire first half. David McFarland and Tyresse Williford were each 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the half.
 
Jacksonville State took care of business, however, totaling 47 points to keep SIUE 25 points away. Ware had a half-best 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting with all four goals coming from long range. That 12 went with three from the first to give him 15 for the game.
 
The win pushed Jacksonville State's season wins total to 23, tying the 2017-18 squad for the most in a single Division I season. The victory also brought the Gamecocks' active winning streak to seven games, tying the program's longest Division I streak, as well.
 
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).