NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team was defeated 101-84 at Belmont's Curb Event Center on Saturday, swept by the Bruins in the regular season for the first time in two years.
 
Despite recording his third 20-point performance in as many games, a 25-point night from De'Torrion Ware was not enough to lift the Gamecocks (10-17, 5-9 OVC) over Belmont (20-7, 11-3 OVC) in the final road contest of the weekend.
 
A high-scoring game, the 185 points tallied between both teams were the most scored in a single Jacksonville State game this season. In total, the Gamecocks and Bruins combined for 70 baskets – 34 on the JSU end and 36 for BU.
 
The 101 points against the Gamecocks were the most since Eastern Kentucky scored the same in a 104-101 double-overtime loss to Jacksonville State on Feb. 23, 2019 at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
"We have to find a way to defend better," head coach Ray Harper said. "That's the bottom line. I think this trip, in particular, we didn't defend. Hopefully we can get it corrected because we have four very important games coming up over the next two weeks."
 
Jax State trailed by 10 at the half, 48-38, after being down by as many as 15 points more than halfway through the period. A 10-0 run, sparked by a Cam Jones 3-pointer, helped erase all but three points of the deficit.
 
During the Gamecock rally, Derek St. Hilaire hit three 3-pointers for nine points to draw the Belmont advantage down to 41-38, but a pair of treys from Adam Kunkel and Tate Pierson helped push the lead back to double digits.
 
Jacksonville State matched Belmont nearly shot-for-shot to begin the second period. The two squads traded baskets evenly through the first three minutes, inflating the score to 54-44.
 
The Gamecocks pulled with six with 17:00 remaining in the game, thanks to three points each from Elias Harden and Ware, but Belmont found its groove after and did not allow Jax State within less than 10 points the rest of the night.
 
Kunkel ended with 26 points, leading the Bruins with 10 baskets. Of his game-high, nine points came from behind the arc. Center Nick Muszynski wound up with 18 points, while Nick Hopkins and Grayson Murphy each put up a pair of 12's.
 
For Jacksonville State, Ware's 25 points came on 9-for-18 shooting with three triples. The sophomore sharp-shooter was also 4-for-6 from the charity stripe. Harden pitched in a second-most 13 – his highest-scoring game since getting 13 against Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 23 – and Jacara Cross added another 11 points. St. Hilaire scored a quiet 10 points in the loss.
 
The loss at "The Curb" was Jax State's first since the 2016-17 season, marking the first time a Harper-led squad was swept by Belmont in the regular season series since his first year at the helm.
 
The Gamecocks return home Thursday, Feb. 20 to host Southeast Missouri. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. against the Redhawks. JSU then welcomes UT Martin to Pete Mathews Coliseum for a 4 p.m. contest against the Skyhawks at 4 p.m.
 
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