DeLand, Fla. ? Kris Thomas (Lithonia, Ga.) scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field to lead the Hatters (4-3, 2-0) to a 63-56 win over Campbell University Monday night in the Edmunds Center. It was Stetson's 4th win against no losses in DeLand this season and 19th win in its last 21 games on the home floor.
After jumping out to a big halftime lead the Hatters had to hold off a late charge by the Fighting Camels. Campbell was able to get as close as three points (59-56) with 26 seconds remaining in the game before Tim Lang (Victoria, Australia) sealed the victory with some clutch free throws. Lang finished 3-of-4 from the line to go along with three field goals for his nine points. He also led the team in rebounds with eight. A.J. Smith (Cocoa, Fla.) was second behind Thomas for the Hatters with 12 points while Campbell's Kyle Vejraska (Alachua, Fla.) led all scorers with 17 points.
Stetson came out strong and looked like A-Sun elite in the first half shooting 42% from the field and 47% from 3-point range. Thomas was spectacular knocking down a trio of his trademark rainbow treys, the third of which put the Hatters up by 14 points at 30-16 with 4:12 remaining. After another 3-pointer, this time by Smith and a layup by Graeme Radford (Victoria, Australia) who went strong to the glass, Stetson held a 35-18 lead going into the locker room.
Stetson cooled off in the second half and Campbell improved from 23% shooting in the first half to 55% in the second. The Hatters were just 8-of-26 from the field and more importantly, 10-for-17 from the line to open the door for the Camels. In the end however, Stetson hit the shots it needed to pull out the win on the home floor.
Tonight, as is often the case, the key to Stetson's win was its strong defense. The Hatters allowed just 56 points which is below its season average of 65.2 points per game (3rd in the A-Sun).
“We have some good offensive players and when some of them play well we feed off that,” said Stetson Head Coach Derek Waugh. “Our offense feeds off our defense.
For the second year in a row the Hatters were able to hold Campbell's top scorer Jonathan Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) to below his season average. He is averaging 18.3 points per game and scored just 13 tonight (11 last year).
“Rodriguez is a fantastic player. I have to give (Sheldon) Oliver, Eric Diaz and Olivier Dupiton credit for guarding him well,” said Waugh.
Next up for Stetson is Webber International Wednesday morning in the Edmunds Center. It will be the second Volusia County School Day with a game time of 11:05 a.m. The voices of Stetson men's basketball Murray Miller and Harry Arnold will broadcast the action; their play-by-play and analysis can be heard and the video can be seen on Hatter Vision at www.gohatters.com, the official online home of Stetson Athletics.
Tickets for all Stetson home games are available on line at www.gohatters.com. For more information call the Stetson University Ticket Office at (386) 822-8110 or email at Hattertickets@stetson.edu.
