Jacksonville, AL - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team opens a three-game homestand as the Gamecocks welcome the Sam Houston State Bearkats Wednesday night at 6p.m. to the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Returning from an 88-82 road loss against Kennesaw State Saturday, the Gamecocks look to regain momentum back on their home floor. Jacksonville State enters the matchup at 3-2 in Conference USA, while Sam Houston comes in with a 1-4 league record with their only win coming against Delaware, who the Gamecocks beat 67-64 earlier this January.
Leading the Gamecocks offensively is Mostapha El Moutaouakkil who is coming off a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double against KSU to make him the second leading scorer in CUSA in points-per-game (18.3). Emondrek Erkins-Ford has been a consistent presence off the bench in league play where he averages 12.4ppg while shooting 60% from the field for the Gamecocks.
Sam Houston enters the contest allowing a conference high 79.8 points-per-game while the Gamecocks look to take full advantage of that, shooting the ball 47% from the field as a team, 3rd in Conference USA. Coming off a loss against Liberty, Kashie Natt managed 20 points shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arch while Po'boigh King is the team's leading scorer averaging 12.4 points-per-game on 41% shooting.
Following Wednesday night's matchup, the Gamecocks then host Middle Tennessee Saturday and Louisiana Tech the 24th at the Pete to continue their home stretch.
