JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's and women's basketball teams take on Southeast Missouri on Thursday, Feb. 20 beginning at 5:15 p.m. at Pete Mathew Coliseum. The men's game is set to follow at 7:30 p.m.
 
The women's game is a Pink Out to support the fight against breast cancer, and the men's game is a White Out, sponsored by the JSU Student Government Association. The first 300 students through the gates will receive a free t-shirt, and all fans are encouraged to wear white as the Gamecocks look to "White Out" the Redhawks.
 
The games will broadcast live on ESPN+ and be available online through ESPN on WatchESPN. Visit espn.com/watch or download the ESPN app to view the games on a computer or mobile device.
 
Fans can also listen to "The Voice" of the Gamecocks, Mike Parris, on the Gamecock Radio Network and online. Parris is entering his 37th season on the mic for Jacksonville State basketball.
 
The Gamecocks return to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 22 to host UT Martin. Women's tipoff against the Skyhawks is set for 1:45 p.m. and the men will follow at 4 p.m.

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Men's Basketball - Game 28
Jacksonville State (10-17, 5-9 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (7-20, 3-11 OVC)
February 20, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Jacksonville, Ala. | Pete Mathews Coliseum  

SERIES HISTORY
• JSU leads series 18-8
• Home Record vs. SEMO: 9-3
• Road Record vs. SEMO: 8-5
• Ray Harper is 4-1 vs. the Redhawks.
• The SEMO series is one of four (SEMO, UT Martin, Eastern Illinois, SIUE) the Gamecocks lead.

FOLLOW LIVE
Listen: Gamecock Radio Network
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Click Here
 
GAME NOTES
Jacksonville State Notes
Southeast Missouri Notes
 
Tipoff Tidbits
• Jacksonville State is coming off a 101-84 loss at Belmont, falling at Curb Event Center for the first time since the 2016-17 season. The Bruins' Adam Kunkel scored 26 points in the win over the Gamecocks.
• Sophomore De'Torrion Ware scored 25 points Saturday, Feb. 15 in the first start of his career. It was his fourth 20-point game of the season.
• JSU's 76-72 loss at SEMO on Feb. 6 snapped a five-game winning streak against the program. The Morehead State series now features the Gamecocks' longest winning streak. beating the Eagles six games in a row.
• Jax State hasn't lost a home game to Southeast Missouri since Jan. 14, 2015 – a 69-52 defeat.
• The Gamecocks are looking for their first home win since downing Morehead State 72-51 on Jan. 25.
 
About Southeast Missouri
• Southeast Missouri carries a two-game winning streak to Jacksonville State this week. SEMO has won three of its last four games, all by no more than four points.
• The Redhawks posted back-to-back wins for the first time this year when they beat UT Martin (74-72, Feb. 13) and SIU Edwardsville (75-71, Feb. 15) at home last week.
• After not coaching the last two games due to the flu, head coach Rick Ray will make his return to the court. Keith Pickens was the acting head coach against UT Martin (Feb. 13) and SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 15) games in Ray's absence.
• The Redhawks are currently 3-2 in February. Southeast Missouri has four games left this regular-season, including three on the road at Jacksonville State (Feb. 20), Tennessee Tech (Feb. 22) and UT Martin (Feb. 29), and one at home vs. Eastern Illinois (Feb. 27).
• Southeast Missouri won each of its last two games in the final minute of play. SEMO overcame a six-point deficit in the last 46 seconds to beat UT Martin, 74-72, on Feb. 13. Two days later, the Redhawks took a 71-69 lead on a layup by Quatarrius Wilson with 48 seconds left and then scored four of the game's last six points to beat SIU Edwardsville, 75-71, on Feb. 15. 

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Rick Pietri's squad will host a pair of first-place teams this weekend at Pete Mathews Coliseum as the Gamecocks work to solidify a spot in next month's OVC Tournament.
 
Five Things to Know: 

• Thursday's matchup with Southeast Missouri (20-5, 12-2 OVC) marks Jax State's annual Pink-Out contest in support for the fight against cancer. Fans are encouraged to join the Gamecocks by wearing pink to the 5:15 tip-off.
• JSU (11-14) enters Thursday contest even at 7-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play, looking to hold onto a spot to the league's postseason tournament for the third-straight season.
• The Gamecocks continue their late roll through the top of the league which included facing the top four teams in the conference both home and away for eight of the final 10 contests of the season.
• Junior Taylor Hawks is 15 th in the OVC averaging 11.4 points through the first three quarters of the conference schedule.
• JSU is second in the league allowing 57.2 points per game to opponents, while SEMO enters with the the second-best scoring offense averaging more than 73 points.  
  
  Series: SEMO leads the series 18-7, and snapped JSU's two-game win streak earlier this month with a 79-52 victory in Cape Girardeau, Mo., in the first meeting of the season. 
  
  Standings: With four games remaining JSU sits sixth in the league standings, two games behind Eastern Illinois in fifth (who owns the tiebreaker). JSU is a game ahead of Austin Peay in seventh, and two up on Murray State for the eighth and final spot in the postseason field.  
  
  Up Next: JSU hosts UT Martin on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. on ESPN+ 

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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).