NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jalen Finch's late-game heroics lifted the Jacksonville State men's basketball team to a 77-76 win over Tennessee State on Saturday at the Gentry Center.
 
Trailing 76-75 with five seconds remaining on the clock, Kayne Henry inbounded to Finch from under his own basket. The junior then proceeded to go coast-to-coast, laying it up and in before time expired. Finch was fouled with 0.2 seconds remaining, but intentionally missed the and-one to prevent the Tigers (4-17, 3-15 OVC) from grabbing the rebound and secured the comeback victory for the Gamecocks (15-8, 11-6 OVC).
 
"Getting Jalen right to the basket is what we were trying to do," Head Coach Ray Harper said. "We had Darian Adams spotted up in the corner and Jay Pal in the other corner. Amanze Ngumezi was going to duck in if they tried to help, and we had Kayne trailing if he needed to throw it back. But he ended up not needing any help."

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— JSU Men's Basketball (@JSUGamecocksMBB) February 21, 2021

 
Finch becomes the first Gamecock to hit a last-second shot to win a game since Malcolm Drumwright hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at USC Upstate on Dec. 18, 2016. It's the second time this year JSU has stolen a win away from TSU in the final five seconds of a contest. Huffman hit a jumper with five seconds to play on Jan. 14 to help the Gamecocks to a 65-64 win over the Tigers at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
The victory also served as a milestone-tying win for Harper. He tied former JSU head coach Mike LaPlante for most Division I wins in program history with 95.
 
Tennessee State controlled the first half and led 39-30 at the break. Jax State was held to 43.5 percent shooting (10-for-23) from the floor, while the Tigers shot nearly 60 percent (15-for-26) and nailed six 3-pointers. Finch and Pal were the Gamecocks' leading scorers in the first 20 minutes, totaling eight points each, while TSU's Mark Freeman scored 15 of his career-high 29 in the half.
 
The Tigers led by as many as 10 points with a little less than six minutes to play, but Jacksonville State steadily chipped away at the lead. Trailing 73-67 with two minutes to go, Finch hit a 3-pointer following a TSU turnover to cut the disadvantage to three. Adams tied the game with a 3-pointer with just 23 seconds remaining, and Pal hit a pair of free throws to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the second, 75-73.
 
Tennessee State's Freeman hit a floater and was fouled with five seconds to play, tying the game at 75. His ensuing free throw put the Tigers up 76-75, but it was Finch's layup that followed to give Jacksonville State the come-from-behind win.
 
Adams finished the night with 19 points, and Finch followed closely behind with 18. Pal and Huffman each scored 10, and Henry rounded out double-digit scoring with 10 points.
 
Jax State returns to Pete Mathews Coliseum next weekend to host Murray State and Austin Peay in the final homestand of the year. Tipoff against the Racers is set for 7:30 p.m., and Saturday's 4 p.m. game against the Govs will serve as senior night.
 
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).