JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team closed out the regular season Saturday with a thrilling 75-71 win over Tennessee Tech at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Senior Night.
 
Kayne Henry's fourth double-double of the year, and outstanding senior performances from Ty Hudson and Jacara Cross, helped the Gamecocks (13-18, 8-10 OVC) earn the seventh seed in the upcoming Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championships in Evansville, Ind. Jax State will face sixth-seeded Eastern Illinois on Wednesday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m.
 
"It was good for these kids to close one out," head coach Ray Harper said. "They made some big plays down the stretch. Jacara had some big buckets, Kayne had an offensive rebound and Marek Welsch had the big three to put us up.
 
"I'm also really proud of Ty Hudson. He looked like the old Ty tonight."
 
The JSU win eliminated the Golden Eagles (2-22, 6-12 OVC) from postseason play, allowing Morehead State to take the final spot in the tournament. Tennessee Tech led the Gamecocks 36-32 at the half, but that's when Henry came alive for Jacksonville State.
 
Henry tallied 13 of his 19 points in the second half, including eight rebounds. The junior finished the night with 19 and 12 rebounds. He helped Jax State outscore the Eagles 43-35 in the final 20 minutes of action.
 
Trailing by one with less than four minutes to play, freshman guard Marek Welsch drained a 3-pointer to put the Gamecocks up 69-67. TTU tied the contest 71-71 with 36 seconds left, but Henry put the game back in the home team's hands with a set of free throws.
 
Tennessee Tech fouled with less than a second to play to send Jax State to the free-throw line, but two more Welsch free throws only extended the lead to four.
 
On the front end, Cross and Hudson rode senior-night adrenaline through the first period. Cross was 3-for-7 from the field with four free throws for 10 points, while Hudson couldn't be stopped on his way to the basket. The guard was 3-for-4 with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws for nine points.
 
Jacksonville State is set to make its fourth trip to the OVC Basketball Championships in its last four seasons. A Jacksonville State win would pin the Gamecocks against the third-seeded Austin Peay Friday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
The OVC Basketball Championships are hosted at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. For ticket information, fans can visit JSUGamecockSports.com or by calling the ticket office at (256) 782-TIXX (8499).
 
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).