GAME NOTES: Ohio Valley Conference play will take place tonight as the Eastern Kentucky Colonels will host the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at McBrayer Arena. After losing nine consecutive games, the Gamecocks have won two straight matchups, defeating Tennessee Tech (79-74) and most recently Tennessee State (83-79). They were the first two wins for JSU in conference play, as the team is now 2-6 against OVC opponents this year. JSU, which is 4-12 on the season, has been terrible on the road, losing all six contests away from home. As for the Colonels, they snapped a four-game losing skid with a 67-56 victory over Eastern Illinois this past Saturday. With the win the team is now an even 4-4 in league action. EKU is only 7-9 overall on the season, but five of those victories have come at McBrayer Arena. EKU leads the series 5-4.

The Gamecocks shot 48.0 percent from the field and made 28-of-40 attempts from the foul line en route to a four-point win over Tennessee State. Five players scored in double-figures for JSU, as Nick Murphy (10.4 ppg) led the way with 19 points. Amadou Mbodji added 18 points and grabbed seven boards in the win, while J. J. Wesley tallied 16 points. Jonathan Toles contributed 15 points, while Will Ginn posted 11 points despite shooting just 3-of-11 from the field. Ginn has been the top performer offensively for JSU and is currently leading the team with 10.6 ppg. As a whole Jacksonville State is posting a mediocre 72.5 ppg, while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor. What has hurt the Gamecocks the most is their inability to play strong defense, as opponents are producing 77.6 ppg, while shooting 45.3 percent.

The Colonels' 7-9 ledger this season can be attributed to their lackluster play offensively. EKU is shooting a mediocre 43.6 percent from the field, but that has led to a mere 61.4 ppg. Mike Rose has been one of the few consistent players for EKU, as the guard is netting 13.6 ppg. Darnell Dialls has been the main source of production in the paint, and heads into this game netting 12.3 ppg to go along with a team-best 6.4 rpg. Adam Leonard is only shooting 36.8 percent from the floor, but is still posting 10.3 ppg. The last time EKU was on the court the team only shot 38.8 percent from the floor, but used a 21- of-23 clip from the foul line to post a 67-58 victory over Eastern Illinois. Leonard led the way with 16 points in the win, while Dialls added 13 points to go along with six boards. As for Rose, he was just 2-of-10 from the field and finished the game with just seven points and six rebounds.

Although the Colonels have struggled offensively, the team has done well at the defensive end of the floor and that should be enough to vault them past JSU this evening.