The Skyhawks fell short to the Gamecocks on New Year’s Eve with a 64-54 loss on their OVC opener.
For most of the first half the Skyhawks kept the Gamecocks from running all over them. With a challenging run, the Skyhawks tied the game 19 all with 2:20 left to play in the first half. By halftime, it was tied at 22. It seemed to go downhill from there.
“We played uninspired,” said head coach Jason James.
At the start of the second half, the Gamecocks held the lead by five, but they steadily gained momentum as the Skyhawks lost theirs.
“The team we see in practice every day is not the team we see on the floor,” said James.
Jacksonville State pulled ahead by 12 and kept the lead for the rest of the game. The Skyhawks started to battle back, bringing the score within eight with 7:54 remaining in the game. But they just couldn’t bring in the power they needed to tie or win the game. As the final buzzer sounded, they were down by ten, losing 64-54.
Sophomore Myles Taylor was the leading scorer for the game. Taylor had a double-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Junior
guard Justin Childs scored 14 points and had three rebounds.
The Skyhawks return to action against Murray State Thursday Jan. 3, at 7 p.m., then again against Austin Peay Saturday Jan. 5, at 6 p.m. To follow the games, like The Pacer on Facebook and follow on Twitter, @thepacer.
