ATLANTA, Ga. | Jackson State fell behind early but battled back in the second half with three players in double figures before falling 82-72 to Norfolk State in the finale of the Toyota Chris Paul HBCU Classic presented by AARP at the Gateway Center Arena on Friday night.

Daeshun Ruffin led Jackson State with 25 points on 50.0 (8-of-16) percent shooting from the floor including three three-pointers, while also hitting 85.7 (6-of-7) percent from the free throw line. He also dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds in the loss, while averaging 30.5 points per game over the span of the tournament. Meanwhile, Jayme Mitchell Jr. added 19 points with three-pointers and six rebounds, while Dorian McMillian added 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Jackson State finished the night shooting 41.0 (25-of-61) percent from the floor and 38.5 (10-of-26) percent from beyond the arc, while also shooting 75.0 (12-of-16) percent from the free throw line. They also assisted on 18 of their 25 baskets, and grabbed 34 rebounds. Meanwhile, Norfolk State finished the night shooting 44.8 (26-of-58) percent from the floor and 43.5 (10-of-23) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 83.3 (20-of-24) percent from the free throw line.

Elijah Jamison led Norfolk State with 30 points.

Inside the Numbers
Jackson State shot 34.5 (10-of-29) percent from the floor and 42.9 (6-of-14) percent from beyond the arc in the first half, while also shooting 60.0 (3-of-5) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Norfolk State finished the first half shooting 46.7 (14-of-30) percent from the floor and 38.5 (5-of-13) percent from beyond the arc. They were also perfect from the free throw line.

Jackson State led 17-15 on a three-pointer from Mitchell with 10:14 to play in the first half before Norfolk State went on a 19-4 run over a six-minute span to build a 34-21 lead, holding Jackson State without a basket for nearly three minutes during that stretch. The Spartans led 42-29 at the break due in part to 20 points from Jamison. The Tigers fought their way back after being down in the second half, holding Norfolk State without a field goal for the final 5:59, and hitting 6-of-7 from the floor to trim the deficit to 12 with just 1:20 remaining in the game.

The Tigers shot 46.9 (15-of-32) percent from the floor and 33.3 (4-of-12) percent from beyond the arc in the second half, while also shooting 81.8 (9-of-11) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Norfolk State shot 42.9 (12-of-28) percent from the floor and 50.0 (5-of-10) percent from beyond the arc in the second half, while also shooting 73.3 (11-of-15) percent from the free throw line.

Up Next
Jackson State is off until Dec. 29 when it travels to Fort Worth (Texas) to face TCU in its final non-conference game of the season.

Follow Jackson State Athletics
For complete coverage of Jackson State athletics, follow the Tigers on social media at @GoJSUTigers (Instagram and Twitter), Jackson State Tigers (Facebook), or visit the official home of Jackson State athletics at GoJSUTigers.com.