KENNESAW, Ga. – After entering the half tied at 36-all, the Jacksonville State men's basketball team was outscored 47 to 35 in the second half by Kennesaw State in the Conference USA road opener on Saturday, falling 83-71.

Jax State falls to 8-6 (0-1 CUSA) on the season while the Owls move to 9-5 (1-0 CUSA).

Jaron Pierre Jr. led the Gamecocks with 20 points, 13 of which came in the second half of the contest. Pierre has now scored 20 or more points in 11 of 14 games this season. 

Kennesaw State led for a majority of the first half until the Gamecocks stormed back to tie the game 36-36 with just 35 seconds remaining.

Jax State and KSU traded buckets out of the half before the Gamecocks took a 46-45 lead with 13:34 left in the game.

The Owls regained the lead just 15 seconds later courtesy of a Braeden Lue three pointer and never relinquished the lead. The three-point basket sparked a 10-0 run for Kennesaw State. The Owls led by as many as 15 in the second half.

Jax State was out-rebounded 44-28, including a 29-to-18 advantage for KSU on the defensive glass. It marks just the first time this season that Jax State has been out-rebounded.

Marcellus Brigham Jr. finished the game with 13 points, marking his third straight outing in double-digits and the 20th such game in his career. Mason Nicholson closed out his afternoon with 10 points of his own.

Nicholson, Brigham and Michael Houge each finished with five or more rebounds while Pierre led the way with four assists.

The Gamecocks finished with a 26-18 advantage in paint points, but a 25 percent three-point outing marks the lowest for Jax State since a 23.5 performance against James Madison.

The Gamecocks return to CUSA action on Thursday, Jan. 9 at Western Kentucky before concluding the road trip with Middle Tennessee on Jan. 11.