MORGANTOWN, W.VA – A hot-shooting West Virginia squad proved too much for Jacksonville State Tuesday night in a 70-57 setback for the Gamecocks.
 
After the Mountaineers shot 54-percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, the Gamecocks (1-2) trailed by 13 at the half and struggled to trim the deficit until late in the second half. WVU was led by a pair of 19-point scorers while KyKy Tandy led Jax State's offense with 18 points. Quincy Clark poured in 13 as the only other Gamecock in double figures.
 
Jax State grabbed a 16-12 advantage eight minutes into the game following back-to-back triples from Marcellus Brigham Jr. WVU fought back to even the game at 19-19, and continued on to close the opening frame on a 21-8 stretch. Heading to the half down 40-27, the Gamecocks struggled to erase the double-digit margin for most of the second half.
 
Scoring 17 points off 10 Gamecock turnovers, WVU extended its second-half lead to as many as 19. With under seven minutes remaining, Jax State trailed 61-43 when a layup from Tandy sparked a 10-0 Gamecock run. Tandy buried a couple treys and Ivan Reynolds had a halfcourt steal he ran back for a fastbreak dunk to send the margin to single digits. WVU finally answered with a pair of free throws and time began to run out on a potential comeback.
 
The Gamecocks return to Alabama where they will travel to rival North Alabama on Saturday for the second of five-straight games away from Pete Mathews Coliseum.