BOX SCORE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Turnovers took the Jacksonville State basketball team out of the game early and it never could find a way back in it on Wednesday, when Tennessee State handed the Gamecocks a 76-57 loss at the Gentry Center.

The Gamecocks (11-16, 7-10 Ohio Valley Conference) turned it over 18 times, 11 in the first half, to open the door for the Tigers to race to their fourth win in five games while handing JSU its third-straight defeat in the process. It was JSU's seventh-straight loss in the Gentry Center and gives Tennessee State a split in the season series.

In the absence of leading scorer Trenton Marshall, who didn't play due to illness, sophomore John Barnes stepped up to scorer a career-high 17 points, but would be the lone Gamecock in double figures. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native tied his career high with three 3-point buckets, all but two of JSU's total as a team in the game.

Sophomore Stephen Hall added nine points for the Gamecocks, while junior Nick Murphy pitched in eight to go along with his game-high nine rebounds. Senior Amadou Mbodji and junior Jeremy Bynum each added six in the losing effort.

The Tigers turned to a youthful trio of players that scored in double figures, led by Jacquan Nobles' game-high 18. The freshman went 4-for-7 from behind the arc to lead an 8-for-19 night from 3-point land for the Tigers. Martell Buie, another freshman, came off of the bench to score 15, while sophomore Wil Peters pitched in 14.

The Gamecocks got the first bucket of the night and didn't make another for nine minutes, giving the Tigers a chance to build an early 13-5 lead. They never surrendered that edge before taking a 37-27 lead into the locker room at the half. Eleven Gamecock turnovers proved to be a thorn in JSU's side at the half, as did the Tigers connecting on their last four 3-point attempts.

Nobles had three of those treys to lead all scorers with 13 points at the half, while Barnes' seven led JSU in the scoring column. Murphy and Mbodji had six and five rebounds, respectively, to lead JSU to a 14-10 rebounding advantage.

The Tigers stormed out of the gates to start the second half and built a 51-31 lead with 14:03 to play. JSU pulled to within 10 at 57-47 in the final nine minutes and followed that with a turnover, but a decision by the officials to review a play two possessions prior resulted in an intentional foul being charged to Murphy. The foul put the Tigers at the line and then gave them the ball, sparking a 13-2 run that gave them a 70-49 lead and put the game out of reach.

The Gamecocks will head home for their final game at Pete Mathews Coliseum this season on Saturday. JSU will host Presbyterian as part of the Bracketbusters event at 7 p.m. CT, on Senior Night for the Gamecocks' basketball program. Their lone senior, Mbodji, will be honored in a pregame ceremony.