JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State matched its Division I record for both consecutive wins and wins to begin conference play on Monday night, knocking off previously unbeaten Bellarmine in an ASUN west  division showdown.
 
The previous two records also came under head coach Ray Harper during the 2018-19 season when JSU began 6-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference, and won eight-in-a-row at the end of the regular season and into the conference tournament. The Gamecocks will set their sights on reaching a new mark on Thursday when they visit Kennesaw State.
 
JSU (13-6, 6-0 ASUN) didn't find its offensive rhythm of late, but the Gamecocks remained disciplined and rode the hot hands of senior Kayne Henry's career-best 24 points. The London, England, native finished 8-of-9 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds as JSU handed the Knights (11-9, 5-1 ASUN) their first league loss. Senior Jalen Finch came away with a team-high nine boards and four assists. Senior Brandon Huffman earned a hard-fought 12 points as Jax State won the points in the paint battle, 26-18.
 
What could have turned into a shootout with both teams' offensive efficiency, swayed more to the way of a defensive grind to slow the other side down. Along with five ties, the lead swapped hands 15 times with Bellarmine leading for more than 19 minutes compared to JSU's 15:40.
 
One of Henry's triples on the night cut JSU's deficit to one point at 18-17 midway through the first half. The Knights padded their margin to five with under six minutes before halftime when back-to-back buckets from Huffman started a 9-0 Gamecock run. JSU was able to hold on to a 30-29 lead at the break, but surrender the advantage once again early in the second stanza.
 
After falling behind 38-37, JSU didn't reclaim the lead until the 10:00 mark at 43-42 on Demaree King's first basket of the night. With less than six minutes to play, Kayne put JSU back ahead on final time and an ensuing steal and fast-break layin from Darian Adams to Jalen Gibbs shifted momentum all the way to the Red and White. The Gamecocks built an eight-point lead at 54-46, but three late triples from Knight leading scorer CJ Fleming, who finished with 17 points, had the game back to just two when Kayne tacked on a free-throw. Once BU came up short on its final try in the closing seconds, Adams raced back home with an emphatic slam to punctuate first-place in the ASUN west division.