JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team came up just short of a win Thursday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum, falling 72-68 to Murray State.
 
Jacara Cross led the Gamecocks (7-9, 2-1 OVC) with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but it wasn't enough to lift JSU over the Racers (10-5, 3-0 OVC) in their third Ohio Valley Conference matchup of the year.
 
"It was right there for us and we let it get away," head coach Ray Harper said. "If we execute a few plays differently, tonight would've been a different story. But we have to have a short memory in conference play. We have another good team in Austin Peay we have to get ready for coming in here Saturday."
 
The Gamecocks led by five with 11:40 to play, but a six-point Racer run erased the advantage. Tevin Brown, who scored a game-high 24 points, tallied five points during the stretch.
 
A couple of Cross free throws gave Jacksonville State a short lead at the 10:23 mark, 50-49, but another Murray State run of 6-0 pushed the lead back to seven, 57-50.
 
Leading by eight, MSU's lead was trimmed to four on a Derrick Cook layup and Roub dunk, but a Jaiveon Eaves free throw pushed the game out of reach for the home team.
 
Twelve of Cross' 16 points come in the second half on four baskets and a 4-for-4 performance from the free-throw line, while the second-highest scorer in the period was Elias Harden with eight on two triples and two free throws.
 
De'Torrion Ware and Martin Roub each tallied eight points in the first half, helping to keep the Gamecocks within five points of the Racers.
 
Both of Roub's baskets were from long range with his first 3-pointer being JSU's first bucket of the game. Meanwhile, Ware hit a triple, double and was 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. Six of his points came on old-fashioned 3-point plays.
 
Murray State held the edge at the half, 35-30, thanks to runs of five, six and seven in the first. The six-point run in the final three minutes, all on field goals and free throws from Brown, padded the Racer lead from two to eight. Three Gamecock free throws in a row trimmed the halftime deficit to five.
 
The Gamecocks continue their homestand Saturday, Jan. 11 against Austin Peay at 4 p.m. The game will broadcast live from Pete Mathews Coliseum on ESPN+.
 
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).