DeLand, Fla. ? Retiring Head Coach Dee Romine's last game at the Edmunds Center proved to be one of her most special wins ever as the Stetson women's basketball team (9-20, 7-9 Atlantic Sun) concluded the regular season with a 60-57 win over A-Sun rival Jacksonville at the Edmunds Center Saturday evening. Junior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds left that gave Stetson the lead and allowed the Hatters to snap a six-game losing streak to JU.
With the shot clock winding down in the final 30 seconds of the game and the Hatters trailing 57-55, Smith had little choice but to force up a three-pointer from NBA range just to the right of the top of the key. The long shot hit nothing but net, however, highlighting a game-ending 7-0 run for the Hatters. Stetson ends the regular season with five wins in its last six games.
Jacksonville had several chances to win in the final moments but three different layups and putbacks just would not fall. Smith grabbed the last rebound and was fouled with eight-tenths of a second left and she made both free throws to ice the game.
Down by five with less than six minutes to play, the Hatters scored five straight to tie the game on a basket in the paint by freshman center Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) with 3:21 left. JU would respond with a bucket and free throw by Lynsey Paschal and eventually found itself up four again with just under two minutes remaining before Stetson began its winning rally.
Conner tied her career high with 11 points, also grabbing eight rebounds. Junior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) scored nine points, tied her career high with 10 rebounds and blocked a shot for the 16th consecutive game. Smith finished with 10 points and four rebounds while senior forward Vlendy Roldan (Kissimmee, Fla.) and classmate guard Kellie Olson (Tucson, Ariz.) enjoyed strong games on Senior Night. Roldan scored six points, pulled down nine rebounds and recorded two steals while Olson made all three of her field goals, including two three-pointers, to finish with eight points.
Freshman guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) scored eight points and classmate guard Brittany Carannante (Clearwater, Fla.) had five points, four assists and two blocked shots to remain among the national leaders in blocks by those 5'8” or smaller (22 rejections on the year).
DaVina Hamilton led all scorers with 12 points for Jacksonville while Courtney Jackson added 11. Danielle Gray narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and nine boards. Preseason Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Ashley Williams was held to just six points on two of nine shooting and one rebound in 15 minutes.
Stetson heads into the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament as the #7 seed for the second year in a row and just as in 2007 will match up with JU in the quarterfinals. The Hatters and Dolphins tip off at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. Central) Wednesday, March 5 at Allen Arena in Nashville, Tenn., the home of Lipscomb University. Murray Miller and Harry Arnold will call all the action at the conference tournament. Hatter fans can watch the webcasts through A-Sun TV and tune in to www.gohatters.com to hear the Miller/Arnold commentary.
