JACKSONVILLE – Brandon Huffman's bucket in the final seconds of Thursday's game lifted the Jacksonville State men's basketball team to a 65-64 win over Tennessee State at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
With five seconds to go in the Ohio Valley Conference contest, Darian Adams fed a wide-open Huffman on the low block from the wing. The reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week banked in the jumper and drew a foul as the Gamecocks (8-4, 4-2 OVC) went ahead by one.
 
Huffman missed the ensuing free throw, but the Tigers (2-7, 1-5 OVC) were unable to get a shot off before time expired.
 
"It was scary," Huffman said following the game. "I gambled late, went for a steal, and it led to TSU hitting a 3-pointer. To come back after a mistake like that and hit that basket is something I've never done. I've never had a game winner. It was a great feeling to hit that shot and seal the win.
 
"I wish I had made the free throw, but a win is a win. I'll take it."
 

Brandon Huffman:

🔥 17 points
🔥 5 rebounds
🔥 2 blocks
🔥 game-winning shot#FearTheBeak #StayCocky pic.twitter.com/cmp6zfYsiQ

— JSU Men's Basketball (@JSUGamecocksMBB) January 15, 2021

 
The senior finished with a career-high 17 points, going 7-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line. The high-scoring performance was complimented by five rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal.
 
Huffman has now scored double figures in his last three games, tallying double-doubles at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State with 16 and 13 points, respectively. The trip to Kentucky yielded OVC weekly honors for the North Carolina transfer.
 
"Huff was so far behind when he first got here because we didn't have a summer workout, and he spent a couple of weeks where he couldn't work out," Harper said. "But he has really came back and his conditioning has gotten better. He's been great these past three games"
 
Jax State led Tennessee State for a total of 59 seconds the entire game. After scoring the game's first basket, the Gamecocks trailed the remainder of the first half – finding themselves down a game-high 14 points in the first half – before regaining a short-lived lead almost midway through the final period.
 
Adams, who was 0-for-16 from beyond the arc in his last two games, nailed a pair of big 3-pointers down the stretch to keep the Gamecocks in striking distance. His first trey came with less than six minutes to play and cut the Tiger lead down to two, 55-53, and his second triple came one minute later to shorten the deficit to one, 57-56.
 
The 3-pointer referenced by Huffman earlier came with one minute to go in the game. TSU guard Ravel Moody, who posted a career-high 23 points, hit the field goal to put the Tigers up 64-60. Afterwards, Adams hit a free throw to make it a 64-61 game, and Huffman set up his game-winning shot with a layup of his own with 34 seconds on the clock.
 
The Gamecocks return to action Saturday, Jan. 16 against Belmont. The OVC contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
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).