HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Jax State fell 81-73 on the road to regular-season Conference USA champion Sam Houston on Saturday.
 
The Gamecocks (14-17) finish their inaugural season in CUSA with a 6-10 mark. With other results across the league on the final Saturday, that places Jax State as the No. 8 seed in next week's tournament in Huntsville, Ala.
 
Jax State will play in the opening session of the CUSA tournament on Tuesday, March 12. The Jax State ticket office has a limited number of tickets available. The cost of tickets for Tuesday's opening session are $20 and fans can purchase those online at JaxStateSports.com.  
 
On Saturday, Jax State knocked down a three-pointer on the opening possession of the game to grab a 3-0 lead, but the Bearkats answered with a triple of their own and never trailed the rest of the day. The Gamecocks trailed 39-35 at the end of the first half.
 
Graduate KyKy Tandy led at the break with 15 points to match Jason Burnell's Division I school record for points in a single season. Tandy quickly established himself atop that list with his first triple of the second stanza. The Hopkinsville, Ky., native hit five of his first six three-point attempts on his way to 32 points.
 
Travis Roberts finished with nine points off the bench while Marcellus Brigham Jr. scored seven. The Bearkats managed to hang on down the stretch taking advantage of 21 points off 17 Gamecock turnovers.
 
To begin its run in the 2024 Conference USA Championship, Jax State will face FIU Tuesday night at 8 p.m. from Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. The game will stream on ESPN+ with the winner of the 8/9 matchup advancing to play top-seeded Sam Houston on Wednesday.