Sidebar: Win Streak Puts Hatters in Prime Position

Spartanburg, S.C. -- After Stetson's conference opening loss to FGCU on Jan. 7, the Hatters faced an uphill climb in the league standings. One-by-one, however, Stetson began to tick off the victories, starting with a road trip sweep at Kennesaw State and Lipscomb. Then came home wins over USC Upstate, NJIT, and UNF, where the Hatters' defense began to really crank up the intensity.

Stetson's 16-point road triumph at Jacksonville on Feb. 2 put Stetson into sole possession of second place, and when FGCU fell to Jacksonville on Feb. 4, the Hatters had moved into a tie for first.

Stetson had to battle JU into overtime at home on Feb. 8 to maintain its standing, and four more wins since has extended the Hatters' win streak to 12 in a row.

Now, Stetson is in position to compete for its first ever ASUN regular season title, the no. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the conference tournament in Saturday's winner-take-all showdown with FGCU.

"I told them in the locker room you have put yourself in a great position," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. "To our players' credit, they have worked hard to get here. I think we have gotten a lot better since our first conference game. I think we are playing better on both ends, I think we are comfortable in our roles right now, and I think our chemistry is good."

FGCU defeated Stetson 84-71 when the teams met in DeLand back in January. Opponents have averaged just 51.0 points-per-game since. The Hatters' 12 straight victories ranks as the second-longest win streak in school history.

"I think we have grown a lot from the beginning of the season until now," senior Brianti Saunders said. "We have improved in a lot of areas and I think our energy is really high right now. We have just put ourselves in a great position. We have a chance at the No. 1 seed and home court advantage, which would be great for our program. We have never been regular season champs. We just need to stay focused and keep playing our game."

Tip-off Saturday is scheduled for 7 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN3 and WSBB radio.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Brianti Saunders: G; 5' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Brianti Saunders
: 5' 4"; Senior
: G

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Sidebar: Win Streak Puts Hatters in Prime Position

Players Mentioned

#10 Brianti Saunders

Players Mentioned

#10 Brianti Saunders