BOX SCORE

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team overcame a hot start from West Georgia and handed the Wolves a 75-68 defeat in an exhibition game at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Thursday night.

Junior Stephen Hall's double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds led the Gamecocks in all categories and helped the Gamecocks overcome and early UWG run that gave the Wolves an 11-point lead in the game's first seven minutes. The 6-foot-6 forward from Birmingham scored 11 of his team-high points in the game's final 17 minutes.

Junior B.J. Miller also had a big night for the Gamecocks, putting in 14 points and dishing five assists in his first game at JSU. The 6-foot guard from Hinesville, Ga., sat out last season after transferring from Georgia Perimeter College but made the most out of his first night with the Gamecocks. He used an 8-for-10 showing at the free throw line to account for most of his points and turned the ball over just twice in 30 minutes.

“I was happy with our effort tonight,” JSU head coach James Green said. “We had a lot of new guys that we put in that did a good job with the circumstances we gave them, especially B.J. Miller. He came in and really played out of position starting at point guard for us and did a good job. We had several new guys give us some good minutes, and there were times when our older guys were off of where our new guys were.

“A big positive for us tonight was to start the game the way that we did and be able to battle back and take the lead before the half. That was a very positive thing for our team.”

Senior Jeremy Bynum was the only other Gamecock with double figures in the points column, scoring 12 points on a night where he struggled to go 4-for-14 from the field. The Oxford, Ala., native did knock down all three of the team's 3-pointers, including one with 3:33 remaining in the first half that tied the game for the first time since the tip.

After The Wolves' Gavin Field answered with a layup, Bynum knocked down another trey from the right wing that gave the Gamecocks their first lead of the night with just under three minutes to play in the half. They would stretch it to 42-38 before the halftime horn.

A three-point play by senior Sean Thurston started the second half and gave the Gamecocks a seven-point lead. They stretched it to 10 four minutes in and never lost it. West Georgia did cut it to one at 58-57 with 8:55 to play, but Hall scored five points of a 6-0 run that pushed the lead to seven with less 7:42 remaining. They would never get closer than three.

Thurston scored those first three points of the second half but added five rebounds and four blocks in the post. Senior Nick Murphy added nine points and six boards, while freshman Brice Jenkins tossed in seven in his first collegiate action.

The Wolves were led by Justin Cumming's 18 points, while Gavin Field pitched in 17. Da'Ron Sims scored 13 and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds that paced them to outrebound the Gamecocks by one, 35-34.

Jax State will open the regular season on Nov. 13 against West Alabama at 7:45 p.m. The game will follow the JSU football team's 3 p.m. game against Southeast Missouri, and fans can gain free admission to the basketball game with a ticket stub from the football game.