Via Evan Murry, JSU Assistant Director for Sports Media
Box ScoreCEDAR FALLS, IOWA – Jackson State showed its grit by putting a scare into Northern Iowa tonight, but the Tigers fell short to the Panthers 66-56 in McLeod Center.
The Tigers came out of the gate clicking on all cylinders beginning the game on an 8-0 run. Jonas James III got things started for JSU with a pull-up jumper. Ken Evans Jr. followed James’ jumper with two back-to-back triples of his own to take a quick 8-0 lead.
JSU controlled the remainder of the first half going into intermission with a seven point lead, 32-25, while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Northern Iowa turned up the pressure on JSU to begin the second half. UNI’s hot shooting allowed the Panthers to break open the second half on a 9-0 run as they outscored JSU 41-24 in the second half to pull out the double digit victory.
“I thought we played very well in the first half,” head coach Wayne Brent said. “We got away from playing together in the second half. We have a short turnaround so we have to clean up the mistakes and be ready to go against Drake on Thursday.”
Redshirt freshman guard Ken Evans Jr. led the Tigers as he poured in 12 points, including four three-pointers.
Gabe Watson made his return tonight from a wrist injury and finished with 12 points off the bench.
Jayveous McKinnis notched his sixth double-double on the season, 29th career, as he recorded 10 points, while adding 14 rebounds and four blocks.
Dyllan Taylor chipped in nine points and was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.
NOTABLES
– Jackson State was 23-57 (40 percent) shooting from the field and 0-2 from the charity stripe
– Northern Iowa shot 47 percent (20-43) from the field and 82 percent (18-22) from the free-throw line
– The Tigers registered 30 rebounds, including 21 on the defensive glass and nine on the offensive glass
– The Panthers pulled down 32 rebounds, with 26 coming on the defensive end and six on the offensive end
– JSU finished with 16 points in the paint, 16 bench points, four fast-break points, and 17 second-chance points
– UNI registered 13 bench points, 18 points in the paint, four fast-break points, and five second-chance points.
UP NEXT
Jackson State returns to action on Thursday when the Tigers play a 7 p.m. CST contest at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are now on sale to the public for the 2021-22 men’s and women’s basketball season. Tickets can be purchased at the JSU Ticket Office at Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center, online at TicketMaster, and at 601-354-6021. Tomorrow is the last day to purchase season tickets. SOCIAL MEDIA
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