CONWAY, S.C. -- — Jaron Pierre Jr. put up 31 points as Jacksonville State beat Coastal Carolina 71-53 on Sunday.

Pierre shot 11 of 19 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 8 from the line for the Gamecocks (3-1). Koree Cotton scored 13 points while going 5 of 8 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and added six rebounds. Mason Nicholson had eight points and finished 4 of 6 from the floor.

Noah Amenhauser finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Chanticleers (1-3). Coastal Carolina also got 11 points and eight rebounds from Denzel Hines. Joshua Meo had 10 points.

Jacksonville State took the lead with 12:17 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Pierre led his team in scoring with 18 points in the first half to help put them up 38-21 at the break. Jacksonville State extended its lead to 64-37 during the second half, fueled by a 10-3 scoring run. Pierre scored a team-high 13 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.