JACKSONVILLE – In a game that featured six ties and six lead changes,
Mostapha El Moutaouakkil and
Emondrek Erkins-Ford led the Gamecocks to a thrilling 74-67 win over Coastal Carolina on Friday night.
El Moutaouakkil managed a game-high 33 points on 21 field goal attempts, knocking down three three-pointers and finishing 8-for-9 from beyond the arc. El Moutaouakkil has now hit five six pointers on 12 attempts after firing 0-for-7 from beyond the arc last season.
Erkins-Ford came up clutch for the Gamecocks, tallying five of his 12 points in the final 1:39 of action, including a three-pointer to extend the lead to five with just 27 seconds left.
Jax State (3-0) jumped ahead early on Coastal Carolina (2-2), outscoring the Chanticelers 26-6 in the first 12:30 of the contest. Coastal Carolina ended the half on a 25-10 run, cutting the Gamecock lead to 36-31 heading into the halftime break.
El Moutaouakkil led the way in the first half, with 18 of Jax State's 36 points.
AC Bryant tacked on six of his own, knocking down a pair of threes.
Jax State pushed its lead out to nine early in the second frame before Coastal rallied to tie the contest at 40 apiece with 17 minutes remaining. The two teams traded the lead over the next 10 minutes, with all six of the game's ties taking place in that span.
Bryant knocked down a three-pointer with 5:09 remaining, giving Jax State a 59-58 advantage in the final lead change of the contest. A few possessions later, Erkins-Ford knocked down an and-one layup to give Jax State a four-point lead.
Coastal's Joshua Beadle scored a layup on the following play, before Erkins-Ford landed a dagger three-pointer to push the lead back out to five. Jax State knocked down four free throws the rest of the way, defeating the Chanticleers 74-67.
Jaye Nash led Jax State with five assists, while El Moutaouakkil and Erkins-Ford led the squad with six rebounds each.
Jax State led for over 32 minutes of game time and led by as many as 20 points in the first half before the Chanticleer run cut into the deficit.
El Moutaouakkil, Erkins-Ford and the Gamecocks are back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 19 against in-state foe South Alabama at 6 p.m. in the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
