Jan. 27, 2008

Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Jacksonville used a poor-shooting first half by USC Upstate to take a commanding lead at halftime and went on for a 68-51 victory over the Spartans in Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball action Sunday afternoon in the Hodge Center.

Jacksonville improved to 10-9 overall and 6-1 in the A-Sun, keeping its hold on first place in the conference standings. Upstate fell to 4-17 overall and 2-5 in the league.

"We came into this game lacking the competitive edge, as a group, that we have had throughout the year," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "I don't know why. We had some guys who competed, but as a group, the competitive edge was not there. And, we got our just reward."

For the second straight game, Upstate did not shoot the ball effectively. However, unlike the 53-52 win at North Florida Friday night, the Spartans could not overcome their shooting woes, nor the strong effort put forth by Jacksonville. Upstate shot 36 percent from the floor for the game, just 16 percent from behind the three-point arc, and made just 12-of-24 free throws. As low as those percentages were, it was worse in the first half when Jacksonville gained control of the game. Upstate shot just 28 percent from the floor (7-of-25), was 0-for-7 from three-point land, and converted just 2-of-8 from the free throw line.

Jacksonville didn't start the game hot from the field, either. But the Dolphins used Upstate's scoring frustrations to build an eight-point lead, 15-7, midway through the first half. Upstate battled back to cut the lead to four with 7:30 to play, but Jacksonville made a decisive run to open a double digit lead. The Dolphins closed out the half with an 18-5 run to open a commanding 33-16 lead at the intermission.

Jacksonville forced 11 Upstate turnovers in the first half, scoring 12 points off of Spartan miscues. A balanced Dolphin attack was led by Lehmon Colbert who finished the first half with seven points. Bobby Davis was the lone bright spot for Upstate, scoring eight points to give the Spartans a glimmer of hope in the second half.

Nick Schneiders opened the second half with a hook shot to cut the lead to 15 points, but Jacksonville put any thoughts of an Upstate comeback away early. Following Schneiders' bucket, the Dolphins used a 17-2 run over the next seven minutes to open a 30-point advantage, 50-20, with 13:48 to play in the game. Brian Gilbert's layup with 10:12 to play gave Jacksonville its largest lead of the night, a 32-point advantage, at 55-23. The Dolphins coasted to the win despite Upstate's ability to cut into the lead by 15 points and equaling Jacksonville's 35 points in the second half.

Jacksonville shot nearly 41 percent from the floor for the game and was 6-of-17 from the three-point arc. The Dolphins went to the free throw line 15 times and were nearly flawless, making 14 attempts.

Ben Smith turned in a strong game, finishing with 10 points, nine assists and three steals to lead Jacksonville. Colbert added 11 points and eight rebounds. Andre McMillan and Aryon Hardy finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Jeremy Byrd led Upstate with 10 points and three assists. Davis did not score a point in the second half, but finished with a solid eight points and 10 rebounds. Mezie Uzochukwu had a quiet seven points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.