COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team opened the Ohio Valley Conference slate with a win Sunday night at the Hooper Eblen Center, downing Tennessee Tech 73-67 on the road.
 
Led by a career-high 16 points from senior forward Brandon Huffman and 18 points from senior guard Darian Adams, the Gamecocks (4-2, 1-0 OVC) overcame a late-game rally from the Golden Eagles (0-6, 0-1 OVC) to go from a 15-point deficit to down one with less than two minutes to play.
 
TTU guard Damaria Franklin hit a layup with 1:41 to play to bring the Eagles within one, 62-61. A Juwan Perdue layup in traffic under the basket less than two minutes later helped Jax State keep at least a two-point buffer for the remainder of the contest. A pair of free throws from Jalen Finch widened the gap to four, 71-67, and Jay Pal shut down any chances of a TTU comeback with two more freebies.
 
The win improved the Gamecocks' record in OVC openers to 11-7 with their sixth-consecutive victory to open league play. JSU also improved to 4-1 in OVC openers against the Golden Eagles and evened the all-time series record at 19-19.
 
The game was the 700th contest coached by head coach Ray Harper and marked his 515th career win.
 
Jacksonville State survived a near-seven-minute scoring drought to maintain a 33-27 lead at the half. Huffman led the Gamecocks in first-half scoring with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting with a 2-for-2 mark from the free-throw line. The double-digit effort included a big two-handed dunk on a feed from Adams from the wing.
 
Tennessee Tech ended the first half on an 8-0 run to shorten its deficit from 11 to three points before Martin Roub hit a 3-pointer as the clock expired. Of his eight first-half points, TTU's Franklin scored six points in the final five minutes.
 
Accompanying Huffman and Adams in double digits was senior forward Kayne Henry, who tallied 11 points on three baskets and four free throws. Finch pitched in seven points and seven assists from the point.
 
For TTU, Franklin dazzled with 21 points in his first game of the season to lead the home team in scoring. Junior guard Jr. Clay followed closely behind with 20 points.
 
The Gamecocks host the Golden Eagles Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Pete Mathews Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. for Jacksonville State's home opener.
 
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).