DeLand, Fla. ? Down just two points at halftime, the Stetson women's basketball team (7-20, 5-9 Atlantic Sun) was held to just 14 points in the second half Saturday at the Edmunds Center and ultimately fell 58-44 to Florida Gulf Coast (16-8, 11-3 A-Sun). Sophomore forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) scored 16 points to lead the Hatters.
The Hatters and Eagles traded baskets throughout a close first half that saw FGCU lead 32-30 at intermission, but it was the visitors that took control of the game early in the second half. Florida Gulf Coast outscored Stetson 16-4 in the first nine minutes to go ahead 48-34; the Hatters would not get back within single digits again.
Four full minutes elapsed late in the second half in which neither team scored a point; Stetson broke out with five quick points to cut its deficit to 11 with 1:26 left but a Shannon Murphy three-pointer in the final minute ended any thoughts of a comeback.
Jackson enjoyed another strong day from behind the arc, burying four of five three-point attempts to finish with a team-high 16 points. Freshman guard Brittany Carannante (Clearwater, Fla.) was a defensive terror, registering a career-high four blocked shots. Junior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) swatted two more shots to extend her streak to 14 consecutive games with a rejection. Redshirt junior forward Shayna Swinson (Atlanta, Ga.) tied her season high with six points on three-of-three shooting.
Adrianne McNally led FGCU with 20 points and eight rebounds. Delia De La Torre chipped in 13 points while Ashley Haegele had a near double-double with nine points and eight boards. Point guard Chelsea Dermyer handed out seven assists.
Florida Gulf Coast jumped out to leads of 6-0 and 8-2 before Stetson rallied back with an 8-2 run of its own to tie the score six minutes into the game on a Carannante layup. The Eagles pushed back out ahead by six again on two more occasions, but each time the Hatters caught up. Stetson took its only lead of the game with 37 seconds left in the first half when junior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) found senior forward Vlendy Roldan (Kissimmee, Fla.) open underneath the basket for a field goal that put the Hatters up 30-29.
De La Torre, however, immediately answered with a three-pointer for FGCU and the Eagles never trailed again.
Stetson is back in action Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. against A-Sun rival North Florida at the Edmunds Center in the opening act of a doubleheader with the two schools' men's squads going at it approximately half an hour afterwards. Bill Topping will call the women's game; his broadcast and live video are available through Hatter Vision on the official online home of Stetson Athletics, www.gohatters.com.
