Basketball hosts Tennessee State Thursday at 7:30 p.m. - Jacksonville State University Athletics

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 14 to begin a two-game homestand, hosting Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m.

The Gamecocks (7-4, 3-2 OVC) look to get back on track in the Ohio Valley Conference and remain undefeated at home following a pair of road losses at EKU and Morehead State last week. On the visiting bench, Tennessee State (2-6, 1-4 OVC) is coming off a 73-64 win over UT Martin that snapped a three-game losing streak.

The game will broadcast on ESPN+ with Mickey Shadrix (play-by-play) and Gerhard Mathangani (analysis) on the call.

Fans can listen to "The Voice" of the Gamecocks, Mike Parris, on their local Gamecock Radio Network affiliate. In Jacksonville, WLJS can be found at 91.9 FM, 98.1 FM and 102.1 FM, and WVOK in Oxford is located at 97.9 on the FM dial. Fans can also listen to WLJS online and on the TuneIn app. Parris is back behind the mic for his 38th season broadcasting Jacksonville State basketball.

The Gamecocks return to action Saturday, Jan. 16 against Belmont. The OVC contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Men's Basketball - Game 12
Jacksonville State (7-4, 3-2 OVC) vs. Tennessee State (2-6, 1-4 OVC)
January 14, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Jacksonville, Ala. | Pete Mathews Coliseum (3,500)

FOLLOW LIVE
Listen: Gamecock Radio Network
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Click Here

GAME NOTES
Jacksonville State Notes
Tennessee State Game Notes
OVC Notes

Tipoff Tidbits
• Head coach Ray Harper owns 87 wins in five seasons at JSU, ranking third in program history in D1 wins behind former head coach James Green (89, eight seasons).
• Brandon Huffman was named OVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday. The senior tallied 29 points, 26 rebounds and five blocks at EKU and Morehead State.
• Jacksonville State's Jan. 18 game at SIUE has been postoned for the second time this season. A make up date will be announced soon.
• Brandon Huffman recorded the team's first double-double of the season Thursday with a career-high 16 points and 16 rebounds at EKU.
• Amanze Ngumezi was voted the league's newcomer of the week following a career-best 20 points and eight rebounds against UT Martin on Dec. 30.
• The Gamecocks lead the Ohio Valley Conference in field goal percentage defense (39.1), fouls per game (15.3), scoring defense (63.7), 3-point percentage defense (28.5) and rebounds per game (40.64).

Series History
• Tennessee State leads series, 21-15
• At Jacksonville State: JSU leads, 12-6
• At Tennessee State: TSU leads, 15-3
• Neutral Sites: NA
• Series Streak: TSU won two

Storylines
• Senior Brandon Huffman was named the Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 11, as voted on by the league's sports information directors. The forward tallied 29 points, 26 rebounds and five blocks in contests at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State. He is the second Gamecock this season to receive the weekly award, preceded by Amanze Ngumezi.
• Brandon Huffman's OVC Newcomer of the Week award comes on the shoulders of a pair of double-doubles. The 6-foor-10 center earned the team's first double-double - the first of his career - with 16 points and 16 rebounds Jan. 7 at Eastern Kentucky. He snagged his second double-double the following game with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Morehead State on Jan. 9.
• Juwan Perdue recorded the first double-double of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds Thursday, Jan. 7 at Eastern Kentucky. He was just the second Gamecock of the season to score a double-double. The 14 points and 10 boards set new single-game highs for the sophomore.
• Jacksonville State features the league's top scoring defense and the 40th-best defense in the NCAA, allowing an average of just 63.7 points per game. JSU also has the top field-goal percentage defense in the league and 27th in the nation with just 39.1 percent of shots made per contest.
• No team in the Ohio Valley Conference is better on the boards than Jacksonville State per game. JSU is averaging a team-best 40.64 rebounds per contest, ranking first in the OVC and 34th in the NCAA. In total rebounds, JSU is fourth in the league with 447 this season.
• For the second season in a row, Jacksonville State is one of the lowest-fouling teams in the NCAA. This year, JSU is averaging 15.3 personal fouls per game - ranking first in the OVC and 31st in the nation. Last season, the Gamecocks finished third in the league and 57th in the NCAA with 15.8 fouls per game.
• Junior point guard Jalen Finch is picking more pockets than many in the NCAA, totaling 19 steals in his first season as a Gamecock. His 19 steals rank 83rd in the nation, and his 1.73 steals per game rank 140th in the NCAA. The last Gamecock to average 2.0 steals per game for a season was Jamal Gregory in 2018-19. Gregory finished with 62 steals in 31 games.

About Tennessee State
• Tennessee State's last scheduled game, set for Jan. 9 vs. Southeast Missouri, was postponed.
• The Tigers' 72-64 win over UT Martin on Jan. 7 snapped a three-game losing streak.
• Senior guard Ravel Moody entered the starting lineup against UT Martin after a career game at SEMO where the Denver native notched 18 points, seven rebounds.
• TSU ranks sixth in assists averaging 13.5 and fifth in defensive rebounds with 25.9 per game.
• Offensive efforts for the Tigers are led by Mark Freeman and Marcus Fitzgerald, Jr. who average 14.9 and 12.0 points per game, respectively.

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).

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Players Mentioned

Jalen Finch

Brandon Huffman

Amanze Ngumezi

Juwan Perdue

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