"My main focus today was defense, and the offense just came," McGowan said. "Just playing hard was the main thing for me."
Trailing 5-4 early in the game, Sanders ignited an 8-0 Hatter run with a turnaround jumper in the lane. The basket would give Stetson a lead it would not relinquish.
Ashley Dennis then blocked a Lipscomb three-point attempt on the defensive end before converting a lay-up a few possessions later to put Stetson ahead by three.
Lipscomb (2-23, 1-13) cut the deficit to just one point on two different occasions, including pulling within 17-16 at the 10-minute mark. That would be as close as the Bisons would get as the Hatters outscored Lipscomb 18-4 over the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 35-20 lead into the locker room.
Included in that late first-half stretch for Stetson was a key 7-0 burst over a short 56-second span. McGowan worked off a screen for a wide-open lay-up, Sasha Sims picked up a steal at half court and converted an easy basket in transition, and Jama Sharp knocked down a wide open three-pointer to put the Hatters ahead 30-19.
The Hatters went on another run early in the second half, this time a 9-0 spurt, to extend the lead to 46-24. Sanders scored 13 of her points in the second half to help Stetson close out the 14-point victory.
The Hatters dominated the inside game, outscoring the Lady Bisons 42-8 in points in the paint.
Stetson will play its final three regular season games at home, including a match-up with Florida Gulf Coast next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Hatters are 12-0 at the Edmunds Center this season and have won their last 16 consecutive games at home.
Notes: Stetson's 68 wins since the start of the 2009-10 season ties the school-record for most wins in a four-year span … Sasha Sims is 12 points shy of 1000 in her career … Cherisse Burris has recorded a rebound in all 60 of her career games … McGowan's 12 rebounds and 10 assists each tied a career-high … McGowan is the fifth player in school history with 400 assists and ninth player in school history with 500 field goals. She is the only player with over 1400 points, 400 assists, and 200 steals in Stetson history. All of her triple-doubles have come on the road … The Hatters scored 160 points in two victories against Lipscomb this year … Sanders has scored 16+ points in seven straight games.
