DeLand, Fla. ? Sophomore forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) emphatically re-wrote her career highs with 16 points and nine rebounds Saturday afternoon to push the Stetson women's basketball team (2-9) to a 68-61 victory over visiting Presbyterian at the Edmunds Center. The win snapped Stetson's seven-game losing streak and saw the Hatters set a season high points total.
After a layup by senior forward Vlendy Roldan (Kissimmee, Fla.) one minute into the second half gave the Hatters a game-high 17-point lead (37-20), Presbyterian started its comeback attempt. The Lady Blue Hose (1-12) slowly chipped away, getting to within eight points at 51-43 on a Katlin Moore three-pointer with just under 10 and a half minutes to play. Stetson was able to build its lead back up to 14 on a Jackson basket with 6:26 left then hung on down the stretch.
Presbyterian's last gasp came in the final minute as Moore made a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left after being fouled to make it a seven-point game at 66-59. Freshman guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla./First Academy) sealed Stetson's second victory, however, by making a pair of foul shots of her own on the other end.
Jackson, whose old career bests were six points and four rebounds, used seven of 13 field goal shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, and five offensive rebounds to come within one board of a double-double. Junior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) and senior guard Kellie Olson (Tucson, Ariz.) joined her in double figures. Barkley set season bests with 13 points and eight rebounds; she also blocked two shots and in the process tied Audrey Kull '01 for 10th place in school history in career rejections with 41. Olson added five rebounds, four steals (tying her career high) and three assists to her second straight double-figure scoring output.
Brown just missed double figures herself, finishing with nine points, three rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) dished out a game-high six assists to go with four points, four rebounds and three steals. Roldan contributed eight points and seven rebounds.
Moore led all scorers with 19 points for the Lady Blue Hose, adding a team-high four assists. Lea Smith had 10 points while Sharie Hopkins recorded a game-high 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Stetson put together a strong effort from the opening tip, jumping out to leads of 8-0 and 13-2 and never leading by less than eight points the rest of the first half. Jackson scored 11 of her points before halftime, including a bucket with 10 seconds left in the period that sent the Hatters to the locker room with a comfortable 35-20 advantage.
The win will send Stetson into the holiday break in good spirits; the team returns to the court Dec. 31 for a 12 p.m. tip-off against archrival UCF in the opener of a New Year's Eve doubleheader at the Edmunds Center. The Stetson men will host Charleston Southern with that game to begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's contest. Bill Topping will broadcast the women's game live at www.gohatters.com with live video available through Hatter Vision.
