NEWARK, Del. (Interstat) — In a game defined by its final, frantic seconds, Mostapha El Moutaouakkil’s driving layup with 1:46 remaining gave Jacksonville State the lead for good, and the Gamecocks survived a late scoring barrage from Delaware’s Christian Bliss to escape the Bob Carpenter Center with a 67-64 victory in a Conference USA men’s basketball game Friday night.

The contest, a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 lead changes and was tied on nine occasions, came down to execution in the final two minutes. With the score knotted at 58, El Moutaouakkil, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Rabat, Morocco, drove the left side of the lane and finished a difficult layup to put the Gamecocks ahead 60-58. After a Delaware timeout, the Blue Hens worked the ball to Bliss, who had torched Jacksonville State all night. His three-point attempt from the right wing with 2:05 left rimmed out, and a scramble for the rebound resulted in a held ball, with the possession arrow favoring Jacksonville State.

The Gamecocks capitalized. Following an offensive rebound by JaCoby Hill, AC Bryant was fouled on a put-back attempt with six seconds remaining. Bryant, who finished with 12 points, made the first free throw to extend the lead to 67-64 but missed the second. Delaware’s Jayden Taylor secured the rebound and called timeout with 4.1 seconds left.

Out of the timeout, Delaware inbounded to Bliss near midcourt. The 6-foot-4 guard from Queens, New York, who scored a game-high 27 points, dribbled right and launched a deep, contested three-pointer from well beyond the arc as time expired. The shot caromed off the back iron, sealing the road victory for Jacksonville State.

The game’s most important sequence, however, may have occurred in the final 37 seconds of regulation. Leading 62-60 after two Hill free throws, Jacksonville State’s defense forced a critical turnover. Delaware’s Macon Emory lost the handle on an offensive rebound, and Bryant scooped up the steal. The Gamecocks then worked the clock down before El Moutaouakkil again attacked the basket, scoring another layup for a 64-60 cushion with 1:32 to play.

Bliss, demonstrating why he was the focal point of the Delaware offense, answered immediately. He was fouled on a drive and made both free throws to cut the deficit to 64-62. After Jacksonville State turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound pass, Bliss struck again, driving for a layup to tie the game at 64 with 1:14 on the clock, setting the stage for El Moutaouakkil’s decisive basket.

Jacksonville State, which improved to 7-6 overall, built its victory on efficiency and defensive pressure. The Gamecocks scored 67 points on just 58 possessions, an offensive rating of 114.8, and forced nine Delaware turnovers while committing only seven of their own. They also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 18 of 26 attempts compared to Delaware’s 5-of-6 shooting from the stripe.

El Moutaouakkil led the Gamecocks with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, adding a key steal. Hill contributed eight points, five rebounds and two steals, while Bryant’s 12 points included two critical three-pointers in the first half.

For Delaware, which fell to 4-9, the loss overshadowed a spectacular performance from Bliss. In addition to his 27 points, he dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds. Tyler Houser, a 6-foot-9 forward from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, provided strong interior play with 19 points, two assists and two blocks. Justyn Fernandez added 15 points, two blocks and two steals for the Blue Hens.

The first half set the tone for the tight contest. Jacksonville State used an 11-2 run midway through the period to build a 25-19 lead, but Delaware responded with a 12-4 spurt of its own, fueled by three-pointers from Bliss and Fernandez, to take a 31-29 advantage. The Gamecocks closed the half with seven unanswered points, including a three-pointer from Bryant and two late layups from reserve Thomas Tut, to take a 36-31 lead into the break.

Delaware opened the second half with purpose, using a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead at 38-36. The teams then traded baskets and small leads for the next 14 minutes, with neither able to build an advantage larger than four points until the final seconds.

Jacksonville State, which entered the game as a 1.5-point favorite, defied its recent pattern of alternating wins and losses to secure a second consecutive victory. The Gamecocks will look to continue their momentum on the road at Liberty on Sunday. Delaware, which has lost two straight, will aim to regroup at home against Kennesaw State, also on Sunday.

The total points scored, 131, fell just short of the pregame over/under line of 132.5. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Jacksonville State had a 58.5 percent probability of winning.