JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Redshirt senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr. led Jax State in points, assists and rebounds as the Gamecocks defeated Utah Valley 70-66 in the Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday night.

Jax State improves to 6-4 on the season while the Wolverines dip below .500 at 5-6.

Pierre finished the night with a game-high 26 points, including a 3-for-6 shooting mark from beyond the arc. The New Orleans, La. native also finished with four assists and tied for the team-high in rebounds with eight.

Pierre is one of two players nationally to be averaging 20+ points, 5+ rebounds and 4+ assists per game, joining Rutgers guard and projected lottery pick Dylan Harper.

Jax State opened up the game shooting 12-of-28 from the field while holding Utah Valley to 12-of-34 shooting to take a 32-31 lead into the halftime break.

After a Koree Cotton layup with 15:01 remaining in the game, Jax State and Utah Valley engaged in a 3:34 scoreless drought before the Wolverines knocked down a three-pointer to take a two point lead with 11:27 remaining.

Utah Valley held the lead until a Pierre layup gave Jax State the final lead of the game with 5:34 remaining. Jax State led by as many as nine points in the final five minutes of play. 

The Gamecocks shot 50 percent from three, making two more shots than UVU despite having 12 less attempts than the visiting Wolverines.

Jao Ituka finished with double-digit points for the third consecutive game. Ituka is now averaging 17.3 points over his last three games after averaging 7.4 in his first seven.

Mason Nicholson and Michael Houge each tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight while Iaroslav Niagu tied his career high with six boards, originally set against Georgia State earlier this season.

Jax State held a narrow 39-37 advantage on boards and outscored the Wolverines 13-7 on points off turnovers.

Jax State will hit the road for a contest against Missouri on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. The game is set to be broadcast on SEC Network Plus