BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Jax State men's basketball team wrapped up a three-game road trip with a late-night win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 71-66 inside E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday night.
The whistle-heavy matchup saw a combined 74 free throw attempts from both squads, with Western Kentucky sinking 21-of-24 attempts and the Gamecocks converting 36-of-50 attempts, the highest free throw attempt total of any team in Conference USA so far this season.
Jax State had five players score in double figures on the night, led by
Iaroslav Niagu's 19 points, breaking his career-high for the second straight game this season, along with his 12 rebounds to earn him his first career double-double.
Jacoby Hill accounted for 11 points, while
Mostapha El Moutaouakkil,
Jaye Nash and
Emondrek Erkins-Ford finished with 10 apiece.
Overall, the contest saw 14 different lead changes and 15 different ties as well.
"I just thought our kids competed, that's the biggest thing," head coach
Ray Harper said. "It wasn't a thing of beauty. We've played a lot better before, but sometimes you have to not play well and find a way to win and that's what we did on the road at a tough place to win."
The back-and-forth affair started off slowly on the offensive end, with both squads shooting a combined 3-for-21 from the field (2-for-8, Jax State; 1-for-13 Western Kentucky), resulting in a 7-6 Hilltopper lead with 11:59 to go.
Following a three-pointer and five straight made free throws from Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers claimed its biggest advantage of the first half of five points, 17-12, coming with 8:51 to go.
From there, the Gamecocks proceeded to go on a 10-2 run from 8:51-5:08 (3:43) with a combined eight of those points coming from
AC Bryant and
Emondrek Erkins-Ford to put Jax State ahead by three.
Despite a late retaliation from Western Kentucky, Harper's squad managed to stay on the gas down the stretch, outscoring the Hilltoppers 11-6 through the final five minutes of the half thanks to six straight points by Niagu during the span to hold a 33-28 lead at the half.
"I think [Niagu] is gaining confidence daily," Harper said. "I thought our guys did a good job of finding him in those short roles when Western Kentucky was guarding the ball screens."
Despite holding the lead at halftime, the Gamecocks quickly lost their advantage after a 15-7 run by Western Kentucky opened the second half and put the Hilltoppers ahead, 43-40, with 14:05 to go.
Following the early run, both squads found their way to the free throw line repeatedly during the latter part of the second frame, with a combined 18 of the next 29 points scored from the charity stripe, resulting in a 57-55 Jax State lead with just over six minutes remaining.
The back-and-forth free throw battle continued to close out the evening, but the Gamecocks were able to prevail as they were able to sink their final six of eight attempts, including five straight makes by Hill to secure the victory on the road.
"The more guys you have that can score, the harder you are to guard," Harper said. "Early on, we weren't getting five guys in double figures and tonight we did. That's a sign of a good team."
The Gamecocks saw a lot of their success due to the production on the glass, grabbing 45 rebounds compared to 34 from Western Kentucky. Jax State had three players grab seven or more boards, including Niagu's 12, along with seven each from Nash and Hill.
Both teams struggled to find traction offensively as neither team shot over 40 percent from the field. The Gamecocks shot 17-for-45 (38 percent) from the floor, while the Hilltoppers converted 19-of-62 (31 percent) from the field.
After wrapping up a three-game road trip, the Gamecocks have a quick turn around back home on Saturday, taking on the Kennesaw State Owls inside Pete Mathews Coliseum at 7 p.m.
