DeLand, Fla. ? Although tied at halftime with archrival UCF today at the Edmunds Center, the Stetson women's basketball team (2-10) could not find a rhythm in the second half as the Knights claimed the 65-43 victory. Junior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) scored a season-high 12 points to lead the Hatters.
The first half was a see-saw affair in which the lead changed hands 11 times and the game was tied up six different times. Stetson's largest lead of the half was 7-4 when Smith hit a three-pointer with just over five minutes gone by in the game; UCF (7-6) earned its largest cushion in starting the game on a 4-0 run. The Hatters appeared poised to take a one-point lead to the locker room, but a mental error on a substitution resulted in Stetson being hit with a technical foul for having six players on the court. UCF's Marshay White made one of two free throws with two seconds left to tie it up at 23-23.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued into the first eight minutes of the second half. Hatter junior forward Shayna Swinson (Atlanta, Ga.) made a free throw with 12:22 left that drew the score even at 36 apiece but the wheels would come off from there for Stetson. Chelsie Wiley of the Knights had seven points in an 11-1 run that gave UCF a 10-point lead with 8:42 to play. Another 11-0 run after the Hatters crept within nine with 8:19 remaining salted the game away for the visitors. Overall, Stetson made just six of 29 field goal attempts in the second half.
Smith was the only Hatter in double figures, although freshman guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla./First Academy) had eight points and junior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) had seven. Barkley blocked two shots to run her career total to 43 and take over sole possession of 10th place on the Stetson all-time list. She has blocked multiple shots in four consecutive games and has at least one rejection in her last seven outings. Senior forward Vlendy Roldan (Kissimmee, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) scored six points and grabbed a team-leading six rebounds.
UCF had four players scoring in double figures, led by 14 points apiece from Wiley and White, with the latter adding a game-high four assists. Jasmine Stovall had 12 points and seven rebounds while D'Nay Daniels scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Overall, the Knights dominated Stetson on the glass by a 51-32 margin. Tia Lewis had 14 rebounds and Emma Cannon had 13.
Stetson was its usual cold-shooting self, hitting on just 28.1 percent of its field goal attempts (16-57) and struggling from distance as well (2-15, 13.3 percent). UCF fared considerably better, shooting 40 percent from the floor (24-60) and five for nine from beyond the arc (55.6 percent). Both teams struggled to a 60 percent free throw shooting mark.
The Hatters now turn their attention to Atlantic Sun conference play, which opens Saturday, January 5 at North Florida with the first of three straight road games. Tip-off from UNF Arena in Jacksonville is scheduled for 2 p.m. Bill Topping will call the action on the radio, which Stetson fans can tune into through www.gohatters.com, the official website of Stetson University Athletics.
