CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team saved its best scoring run for when it counted most Saturday, rallying back from three down to win 76-70 over Austin Peay at the Dunn Center.
 
The Gamecocks (10-5, 6-3 OVC) scored the game's final nine points and held the Governors (8-5, 4-3 OVC) scoreless for the last two minutes and 40 seconds to earn their first win at APSU since 2014.
 
It is the first time in program history Jax State has swept the road series with Murray State and Austin Peay, and just the second time in school history its won over the Racers and Govs in consecutive contests.
 
"I thought we had a lot of guys step up and play well today," Head Coach Ray Harper said. "We needed everybody if we were to get out of here with a win. We went down by five with a little over four minutes to go, but we showed a lot of resiliency and got stops down the stretch."
 
Trailing 70-67 with 2:42 on the clock following a pair of Terry Taylor free throws, the Gamecock defense went to work and shut the Govs down. Jax State forced a pair of turnovers that led to a 9-0 Gamecocks run.
 
Darian Adams tied the game 70-70 with a 3-pointer, and Amanze Ngumezi faked a pass in the paint and instead put it up himself to put JSU ahead 72-70. Austin Peay fouled to send the Gamecocks to the line four times in the last minute, but Adams and Demaree King combined to go 4-for-4 to secure the win.
 
Jax State led for just five minutes of the second period and trailed by four at halftime. The APSU defense forced a scoreless streak of more than eight minutes in order to take a 32-28 advantage to the locker room. It was just the second time this season the Gamecocks came back to win after finding themselves down following the first 20 minutes of action.
 
Adams led Jacksonville State in scoring with 22 points, going 8-for-12 with four 3-pointers and two free throws, while Brandon Huffman put together a highlight reel with seven slam dunks and 20 points.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, JSU's single-game for dunks was seven. Huffman had seven on his own as the visiting squad finished with 11 on the night.
 
The win was Harper's 90th as JSU's head coach, moving him into sole possession of second place for most Division I wins for a Jax State coach. Mike LaPlante holds the program record with 95 in eight seasons. Harper is coaching his fifth season in Jacksonville.
 
Jax State returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 28 to host Morehead State. The Gamecocks wrap up the home series with a 4 p.m. matchup against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 30.
 
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