Jacksonville State 72, Coppin State 61
Jacksonville State used a strong second half to race past Coppin State 72-61 and take third place in the BVI Tropical Shootout in the British Virgin Islands on Saturday.
Gamecock guard Darion Rackley scored 20 points, helped by a 7-of-7 performance at the free throw line, to lead all scorers. Guard Avery Moore went 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 16 points. Center Jamal Hunter just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
Forward Michael Murray, forward Arnold Fripp and guard Taariq Cephas all had 13 points for the Eagles, who lost their third game in a row. Cephas also had four assists, the seventh time this season the point guard has had at least that many.
Coppin State led 29-27 at halftime, but Jacksonville State had the game tied at 34 within the first four minutes of the second half, and from there on it was all Gamecocks.
The Eagles didn't help themselves with 14 turnovers and shot just 38.8 percent from the field (19 of 49), though the team did excel at the free throw line for the second game in a row, making 17 of 22 attempts.
This was the first meeting between the two schools. The Eagles entered the day 3-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference opponents.
