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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team rallied in the second half to defeat host Jacksonville, 80-76, on Wednesday night at Historic Swisher Gym.
 
It is the red-hot Colonels' fourth straight win and fifth win in their last six games.
 
Freshman guard Asante Gist led the way for EKU (6-4), scoring a career-high 24 points and dishing out a career-high six assists. The rookie from New Jersey rose to the occasion late in the game, scoring Eastern's final five points to seal the victory.
 
Senior guard Isaac McGlone also had a big night, as he pumped in a career-high 20 points, while also notching three rebounds and three steals. Junior forward Zach Charles finished with his first double-double as a Colonel, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward Nick Mayo contributed 13 points, five rebounds and a block
 
Jacksonville (6-4) ran out to an 11-point lead, 35-24, when Darien Fernandez sank a pair of free throws with 4:28 to play in the first half. EKU closed the half on an 8-2 run, but still went into the locker room at the break down by five, 37-32.
 
The Colonels slowly began to chip away at the lead in the second half. A three-point play by freshman forward Marlon Adams tied it, 48-48, with 13:40 on the clock. Another three-point play by Mayo knotted it again at 53-53 with 11:30 to play. EKU finally took its first lead since early in the first half when freshman guard Parker Chitty buried a triple from the top of the key to make it 57-56 at the 9:51 mark.
 
The game went back-and-forth over the next four minutes and was tied, 66-66, when Fernandez got a layup to go with 6:01 on the clock. However, EKU exploded on a 9-1 run and grabbed its largest lead of the night, 75-67, when Charles converted a three-point play with 3:00 showing.
 
JU, however, was not done. The Dolphins pulled to within two, 78-76, on a jumper by Cody Helgeland with 41 ticks on the clock. On EKU's ensuing possession, Gist missed a jumper in the lane, but got his own rebound and was fouled with six seconds remaining. He sank both free throws to ice the victory.
 
Fernandez paced Jacksonville with 19 points and six assists.
 
EKU shot a season-high 55 percent (27-of-49) from the floor, including 63 percent (15-of-24) from the floor during their 48-point second half. The Colonels have now shot over 50 percent from the field in three straight games.
 
Eastern also out-rebounded Jacksonville, 31-25. The Colonels have now out-rebounded their opponent in six straight games. They out-rebounded their opponent only seven times all of last season.
 
EKU returns to action on Saturday when the Colonels travel to Muncie, Indiana to face Ball State. Tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.