Jacksonville, Fla. - Junior guard Mairead McNally (Belfast, N. Ireland) sank the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:35 left and the Stetson women's basketball team (3-4, 1-1 Atlantic Sun) closed the game on a 14-0 run to defeat host North Florida (1-6, 0-2 A-Sun) 75-62 Saturday at UNF Arena. Senior center Natasha Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) scored a career-high 22 points for the Hatters.
Stetson led 37-36 at halftime, but the Ospreys would eventually work their way ahead by seven, 54-47, with 10:11 to go. The Hatters did not back down, however, slowly working their way back within one possession over the next five minutes. Sophomore forward Simone Taylor (Delray Beach, Fla.) put Stetson ahead 61-60 with 3:29 left with a layup, but was quickly answered by UNF point guard Juliemay Syquio with a drive and bucket at the 3:02 mark.
Following a Stetson timeout, sophomore guard Dashauna Truss (Jacksonville, Fla.) worked the ball to McNally at the top of the key; the first woman from Northern Ireland ever to play Division I women's basketball stroked one through the net for her only points of the game. Sophomore point guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) capably steered the Hatters home from there, finding freshman forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Graboski for open baskets that sealed the ballgame.
Graboski made six of 11 field goal attempts and nine of 11 from the free throw line to beat her old Stetson career scoring high by five points. Sims scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds while senior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) had 11 points, four boards and three assists. McGowan finished with 10 points, a career-high seven assists, four steals and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Janelle Mills (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) paced Stetson on the glass with six rebounds.
Kim Baker led North Florida with 14 points while Brittany Kirkland scored 13 points. Syquio did an excellent job running UNF's offense, finishing with a 10-point, 10-assist double-double; Larkira Jones (nine points, eight rebounds) and Margaret Bell (eight rebounds) led the Ospreys in rebounding.
Stetson will take 10 days off for final exams before hosting Georgia Southern at the Edmunds Center Tuesday, Dec. 14. Tip-off is at 11 a.m. Bill Topping and Dee Romine have the Hatter Vision call with Live Stats also available at GoHatters.com. Follow the Hatters on Twitter at @StetsonSID, on Facebook at Stetson Athletics and on YouTube's StetsonHatters channel.
