DeLand, Fla. - The Stetson women's basketball team (15-3, 6-0 Atlantic Sun) recovered nicely from an early second half hiccup to defeat visiting North Florida (5-11, 2-3 A-Sun) 63-55 at the Edmunds Center Monday afternoon. Junior guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) led the way with 17 points, seven rebounds and six steals for the Hatters, who won their ninth straight overall, 12th in a row at home and set a program record for most wins without a loss to start A-Sun play.
Stetson jumped out to a seven-point lead in the first seven minutes of the contest and never trailed in the first half, although the Ospreys started to gain control of the tempo in the final 10 minutes, slowing the game to their desired near-crawl and dominating the Hatters on the boards. UNF went on a 9-2 run to tie the game 17-17 with 4:33 to play in the first half but Stetson would do just enough to take a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
Freshman forward Cherisse Burris (Blue Springs, Mo.) led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with six points while Larkira Jones had four points and nine rebounds for UNF early on.
North Florida seemed more determined in the second half's early going, scoring the first five points and taking its first lead of the day on a Jasmine Hicks layup, assisted by Brittany Kirkland, with 17:39 to play in regulation. A Jadhken Kerr three-pointer a minute and a half later put the Ospreys ahead 31-26, their largest lead of the game, and forced a timeout by Hatters head coach Lynn Bria.
Stetson turned up the speed and intensity coming out of that timeout; down four with just over 14 minutes to go, the Hatters seized control for good with a 15-2 run in an approximately four and a half minute span. Three-pointers by McGowan and junior guard Ashley Dennis (Bexley, Ohio), plus a conventional three-point play from freshman forward Jazmin Garcia (Peekskill, N.Y.) fueled that key spurt to put the Hatters ahead 44-35 with 9:48 remaining.
UNF would creep back within four points with 5:37 to go, but Stetson scored the next five points to restore its lead to nine at the final media timeout. The Hatters never let the Ospreys closer than six again, making five free throws in the final 70 seconds and getting a game-sealing trifecta from junior guard Shanasa Sanders (Jacksonville, Fla.) with 37 seconds left.
McGowan's 17 points, seven rebounds and six steals led the team in all three categories; she was one of four Hatters to score in double figures. Sophomore forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.) collected 13 points and five rebounds with Burris and Sanders scoring 10 points apiece. Sanders also pulled down six rebounds and tied for the team lead in assists with three. Freshman guard Jama Sharp (Mooresville, Ind.) dished out three assists and notched four steals as well. As a team, Stetson recorded 16 steals and forced 28 Osprey turnovers in the ballgame.
Kerr led North Florida with 17 points and six rebounds while Kirkland scored 13 points and handed out a game-high six assists. Jones finished with 12 rebounds.
At 6-0 in the A-Sun, Stetson broke its old school record for hottest league start, set by the 1995-96 squad which won its first five games in the old Trans-America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun). The Hatters head to Nashville, Tenn. for two games later this week, first tangling with Lipscomb at 7:30 pm ET (6:30 pm local CT) at Allen Arena. Fans can watch that contest at ASun.TV (simulcast with Hatter Vision for subscribers) and follow Live Stats links at GoHatters.com.
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