DeLand, Fla. ? Junior point guard A.J. Smith (Cocoa, Fla.) energized the home fans with a dramatic 3-pointer giving Stetson a 60-59 win over Warner University Thursday night in the Edmunds Center. The Royals gave the Hatters a good test in their only preseason tune up.
Stetson looked strong early opening with an 18-5 run sparked by Tim Lang (Victoria, Australia) and Kris Thomas (Lithonia, Ga.) who each knocked down 3-pointers. Warner answered with a 6-0 run to make the score 18-11 with 7:45 remaining in the first half. By the fourth media timeout at 3:15 the Royals had pulled to within a point at 23-22.
A 3-pointer by Garfield Blair (Orlando, Fla.) at the buzzer sent the Hatters into the locker room with a 33-29 lead. Blair, Stetson's preseason All-Conference selection led all scorers at the break with 11 points and six rebounds. For the game he led Stetson with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Stetson led by as many as 10 points in the second half when a Thomas layup made the score 43-33. The Royals would not go away however and tied the game at 50 with 4:50 remaining in the game. A quick 3-pointer by Eric Diaz (Miami, Fla.) put the Hatters back into the lead 53-50.
At 2:50 Preston Adams (Orlando, Fla.) hit his first basket of the game after going 0-8, a 3-pointer that gave Warner a 56-55 lead. His second hoop, a finger-roll layup with 55 seconds left extended the lead to three points and it looked like Stetson might drop a game it had well in hand. Cue the dramatic sound track.
This is where Smith took over the game. He made a drive to the basket and was fouled with 17 seconds remaining. He then hit both free throws to get Stetson back within a point. Stetson fouled with just over 10 seconds on the clock. After a Warner missed one of two free throws Stetson's A.J. Smith drove the length of the floor, pulled up, and knocked down a 3-pointer with three seconds left to give Stetson the 60-59 lead. Warner's prayer shot fell short and the Hatter fans exploded with joy.
Thomas and Smith finished with 11 and 10 points respectively. Derell Henderson (Winter Haven, Fla.) led the Royals with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Stetson opens the regular season Friday, November 14 in Austin, Texas against the #7 ranked University of Texas Longhorns. The first home game will be November 18 at 7:00 p.m. versus Bethune-Cookman. Stetson fans can keep up with all the action on Hattervision by going to www.gohatters.com. Join Murray Miller and Harry Arnold for audio broadcasts from the road and video broadcasts at home.
