FINAL STATS

NORMAL, Ill. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team looked all the way down its roster for production and got it on Saturday night, when the Gamecocks earned a 64-56 win over South Dakota at the Global Sports Roundball Classic in Illinois State's Redbird Arena.

The Gamecocks (2-4) played 11 players and 10 of them scored, a balanced attack that helped JSU snap its four-game losing skid and win its first-ever meeting with the Coyotes (1-4). Jax State made nine of its first 13 shots from the floor in the second half en route to a .550 shooting percentage in the final 20 minutes, a stat that allowed the Gamecocks to hold on to the lead for the entire second half.

Three players scored in double figures for JSU, led by senior Nick Murphy's 12. Freshman Brian Williams went 4-for-6 from the floor, 2-for-4 from behind the arc, to score 10, while junior Dominique Shellman used seven late free throws to pitch in 10 in the win.

Senior Sean Thurston had five points but used his presence in the paint to guide the Gamecocks on the night. The Bloomington, Minn., native grabbed six boards and blocked four shots to go along with his 2-for-2 night from the floor. Junior Stephen Hall also had six boards for JSU and added eight points in the win.

The Coyotes got 14 points and nine rebounds from Charlie Westbrook and 10 points and nine boards from Ricardo Andreotti on a night that saw both squads pull down 33 rebounds. Both had 11 offensive boards, but JSU used its 11 to get 10 second-chance points to the Coyotes' two.

After a sluggish start for both teams, the Gamecocks buckled down on defense to close the half. They held the Coyotes without a field goal in the final 8:11 of the half and used a 14-4 run to take a 28-21 lead into the locker room.

Williams led the Gamecocks with seven first-half points, thanks to a 3-for-4 effort from the floor. Hall added six points and five rebounds, which led JSU to a 17-14 advantage on the first-half glass.

USD's Ricardo Andreotti set career highs in points and rebounds in the game's first 20 minutes, a stretch that saw him score eight and pull in seven boards.

The Gamecocks stretched the lead a little to start the second half and took their largest lead to the point at the 13:32 mark. DeAndre' Bynum banked one in from the blocks to give the Gamecocks a 40-31 lead.

JSU's next bucket didn't come until over three minutes later, a stretch that allowed USD to go on a 6-0 run that cut the Gamecocks' lead to 40-37. They answered the run, though scoring eight of the next nine to pull out to 48-38 lead with just over eight minutes to play.

The Coyotes would make a few runs down the stretch, but JSU would convert on enough shots from the free throw line to never let them get closer than five.

The Gamecocks will wrap up the weekend on Sunday at 3:35 p.m., when they face host Illinois State. The game will be broadcast live on the JSU Radio Network with Mike Parris calling the action. Airtime on the network will be at 3 p.m.