JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team completed the season sweep of UT Martin on Saturday, earning a 72-58 win at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
The Gamecocks (12-17, 7-9 OVC) win over the Skyhawks (8-19, 4-12 OVC) brought JSU its first weekend sweep of Ohio Valley Conference play since opening weekend on the road, and marked the first set of back-to-back wins on Bill Jones Court in league action this season.
 
Jacara Cross and Kayne Henry each scored in double figures. Cross led the way with his team-leading fifth 20-point game of the year, while Henry came just two points shy of the mark with 18.
 
Jacksonville State held its opponent to under 60 points for the second game in a row, and out-rebounded the visitors 28-22 with the help of a zone defense.
 
"We tried to mix thing up a little bit," head coach Ray Harper said. "We've always tried that down the stretch, but I think we did it a little more this week than I have in past seasons.
 
"On offense, I thought we played very unselfishly today. We made the extra pass, and we looked like a team that was connected. That's something we've talked about a lot lately. You have to be connected this time of year."
 
Henry scored all 18 of his points in the first half, going 6-for-8 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. His big half overshadowed a quiet 11-point half from Cross.
 
UT Martin came out and took a quick 5-0 lead to begin the game, but Jax State retaliated soon after and found a 6-0 run to jump ahead 16-9 near the halfway mark of the period. The Skyhawks turned the ball over four times during a four-minute stretch, allowing JSU to gain control.
 
Martin came back to tie the game 18-18, but it was short-lived as Cross came up with a basket and foul to send the Gamecocks up three. JSU held onto the lead and took a 36-25 advantage going into the locker room at halftime.
 
The closest the Skyhawks came to the lead after the half was nine points – the same total they trailed by at the end of the first. Cross kept the visitors away with nine more points, and sophomore De'Torrion Ware pitched in nine second-half points to help spark the offense. The sharp-shooter was 3-for-8 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers in the closing 20 minutes.
 
For the Skyhawks, star forward Quintin Dove scored 26 points and Derek Hawthorne Jr. had another 20, but the next-highest scorer was Hannes Polla with six. Aside from Dove and Hawthorne, Jacksonville State held the other four UTM scorers to just 12 points on 5-for-19 shooting (26.3%).
 
The Gamecocks go on the road one more time this regular season, traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee State on Thursday, Feb. 27. The contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Gentry Center.
 
Following the matchup at TSU, the Gamecocks return to Pete Mathews Coliseum to take on Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Senior Night game is set to begin at 7 p.m. Seniors will be honored prior to tipoff, and the 1985 NCAA Division II championship men's basketball team will be recognized at halftime.
 
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