RUSTON, La.—Jax State got within three with 53 seconds to go but ended up falling 77-71 to the Bulldogs to drop to 13-13 overall and 8-7 in Conference USA.
 
Three possessions into the second half, the Gamecocks trailed 41-20 marking their largest deficit of the season. The long ball helped chip away as Jax State went 8-of-15 from 3-point land during the second 20 minutes.  
 
"You just can't dig yourself that big of a hole and just be crawling up hill all night," said coach Ray Harper. "A lot of it was due to our turnovers and our inability in transition."
 
A 3-pointer by AC Bryant with 5:00 to play got the Gamecocks within 11, but the Bulldogs converted a three-point play on the next possession, then stretched it to 15 (71-56) after splitting a pair of free throws. After another 3-pointer by Bryant, Mostapha El Moutaouakkil scored the next six points of the game, highlighted by a 3-pointer with 2:26 remaining to make it 71-65.
 
El Moutaouakkil led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on a career-high four 3-pointers on the night, and grabbed five rebounds. Bryant added 17, going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
 
Trailing 74-67, El Moutaouakkil charged into the lane from the right wing with a monster dunk, then converted a layup on the next possession after getting a stop to get within three. The Gamecocks were close to forcing another LA Tech turnover on the next possession, but committed a foul just before the 10-second count.
 
Turnovers were a big key to the second half as Jax State forced 10 turnovers which yielded 19 of their 51 points. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks committed just three turnovers after making nine in the first half which led to 11 Bulldog points.   
 
"We just have to play like that for 40 minutes," said Harper of the second half effort.
 
The Gamecocks got off to a sluggish start, making just two of their first 10 shots from the field and fell behind by seven at the 9:53 mark of the first. A 3-pointer by Bryant from the top of the key at the 7:27 mark ended a 6-0 run and got the visitors back within eight at 20-12.
 
LA Tech closed the half on a 9-0 run to take a 39-20 lead into the intermission after holding Jax State to its lowest scoring total in a half this season. They outscored the Gamecocks 24-4 in the paint in the first 20 minutes.
 
Next up for the Gamecocks will be Sam Houston, which is currently in second place in Conference USA with a 10-5 league record.