Daytona Beach, Fla. ? Stetson's rally late in the game was not enough to overcome Bethune-Cookman's lead and the Wildcats (3-5) won Monday's rematch 52-51 to gain a split on the season.
BCU was up 49-41 with 5:48 remaining in the game when Stetson heated up from the field. Sophomore guard Mark Lohuis (Vero Beach, Fla.) hit a pair of 3-pointers and it was 49-47 with four and a half minutes to play. A BCU free throw and an Eric Diaz layup found Stetson down by just one point at 50-49. Then Cookman's Jimmy Hudson (Eustis, Fla.) hit his team's first field goal in over four minutes to make the score 52-49. Diaz made another layup and the Hatters were down one with seven seconds remaining. Two missed free throws and then a Garfield Blair (Orlando, Fla.) desperation shot off the glass spelled the end for Stetson.
It was a close game in which the Hatters hit a season-high 50% from the field (19-38). It was the second consecutive game Stetson hit a season-high in field goal percentage. The key statistic however was turnovers. Stetson was careless most of the night giving up the ball 19 times.
“We turned the ball over too many times tonight”, said Head Coach Derek Waugh. “We will take this loss and try to learn from it going forward.”
Sophomore point guard A.J. Smith (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) led the Hatters in scoring with 14 points in 33 minutes on the floor. Lohuis showed why he will be an important part of Stetson's potential success in this year's league play by hitting a career-high three 3-pointers (3-for-6) for 9 points. Junior guard Kris Thomas (Livonia, Ga.) also chipped in nine points shooting 4-for-5 from the field. After getting into early foul trouble, junior forward Eric Diaz (Miami, Fla.) added a team-high six rebounds to his key four points coming down the stretch.
Stetson (2-7) will have the next two weeks off from game play during final exams. The team will return with four more games to prepare for A-Sun play. After traveling to Miami, Savannah State, and Longwood University (Virginia), the Hatters will play host to Charlston Southern on New Year's Eve (2:30 p.m.).
