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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Jacksonville State men’s basketball team placed four players in double figures on Wednesday evening en route to a 69-55 victory over Morehead State at Johnson Arena.
The Gamecocks improve to 11-16 overall and 6-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference with their fifth win in the past seven games, while the Eagles slip to 13-13 on the campaign and 6-6 in conference action.
“You have to give Jacksonville State credit,” Morehead State Head Coach Donnie Tyndall said. “They are a physical team and have been playing well in recent games. They spaced the floor on the offensive end and we couldn’t get stops when we needed them.”
Freshman Darion Rackley came off the Jacksonville State bench to score a game-high 20 points. He knocked down 4-of-9 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Junior Tarvin Gaines added 15 points and a game-best nine rebounds for the Gamecocks, while sophomores Brian Williams and Nick Cook contributed 12 points apiece.
Sophomore Drew Kelly led Morehead State with 14 points on 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds and was credited with three steals.
Senior Ty Proffitt was MSU’s other double-figure scorer with 11 points on 5-of-6 from the foul line.
Jacksonville State knocked down 55 percent (21-of-38) from the field, including 67 percent (10-of-15) in the second half. The Gamecocks also converted on 44 percent (4-of-9) from long distance and 79 percent (23-of-29) from the charity stripe.
Morehead State drilled 44 percent (17-of-39) from the floor, including 53 percent (10-of-19) after intermission. The Eagles also drilled 86 percent (18-of-21) from the charity stripe.
The Gamecocks took a 28-21 advantage to the locker room at halftime. MSU cut the deficit to 41-37 with 10:41 remaining, but JSU responded with a 14-6 spurt to open up a double-figure lead.
The third-and-final tie came at the 14:04 mark of the first half. JSU led the rest of the way.
Morehead State opens a three-game road trip on Saturday at OVC rival Eastern Kentucky. The contest follows an MSU vs. EKU women’s game, which begins at 4 p.m. ET.
“Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay (Feb. 15) will be tough road games for us,” Tyndall added. “Our schedule certainly doesn’t get any easier at this point.”
