RICHMOND, Ky. – Four players finished in double figures, including a career-high 15 points by junior Julian Mascoll, as the Eastern Kentucky men's basketball team defeated Jacksonville State Thursday night in McBrayer Arena, 86-78. With the win, the Colonels (9-8, 6-3 OVC) move above the .500 plateau for the first time this year while the Gamecocks (6-9, 4-5) fall to 4-5 in league action.

EKU shot 57.9 percent (33-of-57) from the floor versus Jacksonville State, just a fraction of a point below its season-high percentage of 58.1 tallied against West Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 28. Senior Matt Witt led the charge with a game-high 26 points to go along with six assists. Mascoll came off the bench to go a perfect 6-for-6 shooting while senior Alonzo Hird chipped in with 12 points on 75 percent (6-of-8) shooting.

For the Gamecocks, Courtney Bradley recorded a personal-high 25 points and also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Walker Russell finished with 11 points, eight assists and six boards.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring eight ties and 11 lead changes. Eastern made eight straight shots from the field early in the game to earn its biggest advantage of the opening half, 24-16. However, three-pointers by Anthony Wilson and Brad Peters helped JSU reclaim the lead barely a minute later, 26-24.

Down the stretch, a Jason McLeish lay-up and Witt three-pointer gave the Colonels the slight edge at intermission, 45-42. Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the first half with EKU at 58.1 percent and Jacksonville State at 53.8.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Wilson and Peters put the Gamecocks back in front with 15:51 remaining, 54-50. From there, Eastern Kentucky responded with a 13-2 spurt to take the lead for good. The run was highlighted by a Witt-to-Mascoll dunk at 12:41 to make the score 57-56 in favor of the Colonels.

Jacksonville State hung around for the next five minutes until seven unanswered EKU points, featuring another Mascoll dunk, stretched the Colonel cushion to nine, 75-66, with 4:25 showing on the clock. The Gamecocks would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way. This was Eastern's fourth straight OVC win and fifth consecutive triumph in McBrayer Arena.

Eastern Kentucky is right back in action this Saturday, Jan. 21, when the Colonels entertain Samford at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs were the only visiting team to come away victorious in McBrayer Arena last season. Jacksonville State next plays at Morehead State Saturday beginning at 7:45 p.m.