EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team picked up a 64-56 road win Saturday at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Vadalabene Center, snapping a three-game skid.
 
Junior Kayne Henry fueled the offense with 22 points and 14 rebounds, recording his second double-double of the season in as many games. He is the first Gamecock to earn multiple double-doubles this season, and both numbers represent career-highs for the forward.
 
"Kayne had a great weekend," head coach Ray Harper said. "I think he is learning just how hard he has to compete. It's never been about talent, but I don't think he's ever had to play that hard every possession. I think he is figuring it out."
 
Henry played all 20 minutes of the second half, scoring 12 with eight rebounds in the final period, to help the Gamecocks (8-11, 3-3 OVC) route the Cougars (4-15, 1-5 OVC) following a tightly-played first half.
 
JSU trailed by as many as six points through the first 10 minutes of play. With outstanding defense from Jax State and sophomore forward Maros Zeliznak, the Gamecocks shot 46.2 percent (12-26) in the period to take a three-point lead to the locker room.
 
The 27-24 Jacksonville State advantage came about on runs of 8-0 and 5-0 while holding SIUE scoreless through the last 2:50 of the first half. Henry accounted for 10 points and Zeliznak had six.
 
The shots began falling in the second half for the Gamecocks as they extended their lead to as much as 16 halfway through the stanza. Henry was 4-for-6 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line during the half, while the team nailed four 3-pointers as opposed to one in the first.
 
SIUE was able to whittle its deficit from double-digits during the final 21 seconds, sending the Gamecocks to the line and hitting a couple of treys following the foul shots, but the closest the Cougars came to the lead was six points. Two Ty Hudson free throws ensured an eight-point lead for JSU in the final six seconds.
 
The Gamecocks return home next week for four consecutive Ohio Valley Conference games. Eastern Kentucky visits Pete Mathews Coliseum on Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. to begin the homestand.
 
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