DeLand, Fla. - Senior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) tallied season highs of 20 points and five assists and freshman forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.) added a career-high 19 points to lead the Stetson women's basketball team (2-3) to a 70-52 victory over visiting Jacksonville State (2-4) Monday evening at the Edmunds Center. The Hatters improved to 7-0 all-time against JSU at home with the victory and snapped a three-game losing streak in the process.
The Gamecocks scored the first four points of the game and led for the first seven minutes until Brown converted a three-point play with 12:58 left in the first half to put Stetson ahead 11-8. That basket and free throw came during a 17-2 run that put the Hatters up 23-10 with 5:27 to go until halftime. Stetson led 31-19 at the intermission and Jacksonville State would not get closer than nine points at any time thereafter.
Two free throws from Zenobia Pitts cut the lead to 41-32 with 12:45 remaining, but Sims would seal the victory for the Hatters by draining three-pointers on three consecutive possessions. The last of those made it 50-32 with 11:10 left; Stetson led by as many as 19 and won by 18 points.
Brown shot 50 percent from the floor (6-12) and added two steals to her season-high 20 points; this is the seventh time in her career that she has scored 20 points or more. Sims made seven of nine field goals and was three for three from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points, adding four rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Sophomore guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) added 10 points and four steals with senior center Natasha Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) scoring seven points and grabbing a season-high, team-leading 11 rebounds.
Brittany Wiley scored 17 points to lead Jacksonville State, which lost its fourth straight game after starting the year 2-0. Danielle Vaughn had a strong game on the low block for JSU, putting up a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double with four blocked shots. Pitts had six points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The Hatters open Atlantic Sun Conference action Thursday at Jacksonville. Tip-off from Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. is set for 5 p.m. The game will be webcast on A-Sun.TV. Follow Stetson Athletics on Facebook (Stetson Athletics), Twitter (@StetsonSID) and YouTube (StetsonHatters channel) for 360-degree coverage of the Hatters.
