MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Jacksonville State suffered a third-straight loss in Conference USA action on Wednesday night in a 75-67 setback to the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State on the road.
 
After falling behind 10-0 to open the game and having to use an immediate timeout to regroup. The Gamecocks (10-10, 2-3 CUSA) spent the rest of the night working to claw out of a double-digit deficit.
 
Caleb Johnson led the way with a career-high 17 points for Jax State, but it wasn't enough to counter MTSU's Jestin Porter who poured in a career-high of his own with 30 points. Porter was one of two Blue Raiders to score at least 20. KyKy Tandy was the only other Gamecock in double figures with 11 points on a tough 3-for-11 shooting night.
 
Following the early deficit, Jax State had just four points six and a half minutes into the game when Mason Nicholson and Gora Niang sparked a 9-0 run to pull within 15-13 and force an MTSU timeout. Nearly halftime it remained a two-point difference at 25-23, when the Blue Raiders held Jax State scoreless for the final 4:51 and used a 10-0 stretch to grow the halftime margin to a dozen.
 
In the second half, the Gamecocks looked to be rallying by trimming a once-15 point deficit down to six with 14 minutes remaining, but that would be as close as it came until the final moments. Behind nine three-pointers and 16-of-20 shooting at the free throw line, MTSU would control the contest the rest of the way before the Gamecocks cut the final score down to eight in the closing seconds.
 
Jax State hosts Liberty Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum.