The Stetson men's basketball team fought off a second half surge from Palm Beach Atlantic to win its season opener at the Edmunds Center. It was the fourth time in seven years under Coach Derek Waugh that the Hatters have won the first game of the season. It was the 66th time since 1900 Stetson has won its home opener (66-27/.710).
When sophomore guard Mark Lohuis (Vero Beach, Fla.) hit his second three-point field goal in the first four and a half minutes of the game the Hatters had jumped out to an impressive 13-0 run. The run included a jumper and a three-pointer by junior Eric Diaz (Miami, Fla.).
Once again Stetson ran the lead up to 13 points on a free throw by junior Kris Thomas (Lithonia, Ga.) completing a three-point play at 9:33. Stetson raised its advantage to 19 points at the half (33-14) and seemed to be well in control of the game.
The Sailfish had other ideas and slowly picked away at the Hatters' lead in the second half and went ahead 51-50 on a 3-pointer by Jonathan Lawrence with 4:37 remaining in the game. Sophomore A.J. Smith (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) tied the game at 51 with a free throw, put the team ahead 53-51 on a layup at 2:44. He then sealed the 56-54 win with a free throw with :12 seconds on the clock.
The Hatters had three players score in double figures including junior Garfield Blair (Orlando, Fla.) with 13, Smith with 11 and Thomas with 11. Lohuis led the team in rebounds with 8 and chipped in six points.
“At the end of the day, having to pull out a close one down the stretch will help us down the road”, said Waugh. “I have to give them (PBA) credit for playing hard. They could have shut it down at the half.”
Next the Hatters (1-0) will hit the road and travel to Birmingham, Alabama to take on UAB in the first round of the Inaugural Glenn Wilkes Classic. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11 at 8:00 p.m. Stetson will complete its play in the Wilkes Classic with three games at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach against Florida Atlantic (11/16), Rhode Island (11/17) and Georgia Southern (11/18).
