JSU men: Gamecocks fight back in second half before falling at South Alabama
Dec. 21—Jacksonville State's men's basketball team showed plenty of fight in the second half but ultimately fell short at South Alabama, 71-66, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Tyrell Jones jumper in the paint with 50 seconds to play gave the Jaguars a 67-66 lead, and the Gamecocks were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Kevin Samuel blocked a 3-point attempt by Demaree King with 35 seconds to play, and Skyelar Potter missed a layup and a 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds.
Jones closed out the South Alabama victory by going 4 of 4 at the free throw line in the final minute.
The Gamecocks clawed their way back into the contest midway through the second half. After Isaiah Moore gave the Jaguars an 11-point lead with 9:04 to play, JSU responded with a 15-0 run. King capped the run with a 3-pointer that gave the Gamecocks a 63-59 lead with 3:47 to play. JSU scored just three points after that.
What to know
—King made 11 of 19 shots from the field and led the Gamecocks with 24 points. JSU made just 2 of 13 shots from beyond the arc. King was responsible for both makes.
—Juwan Perdue set a new career high with 20 points. He also led the Gamecocks with nine rebounds.
—Maros Zeliznak finished with nine points and four rebounds.
—Potter struggled with his shot Wednesday. He made just 1 of 7 shots from the field and finished with just five points.
—Jones scored a team-high 18 points for South Alabama. Samuel finished with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Next up
—JSU (6-6) will close out non-conference play on Tuesday when it hosts Georgia Southwestern on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Assistant Sports Editor Jared Gravette: 256-235-3572. On Twitter: @Jared_Gravette.
