Overall, Stetson has received consistent, steady play from its starting five throughout the season. However, during the team's recent road trip sweep over Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, the Hatters' bench provided big contributions as well.
In Saturday's nine-point win at Kennesaw, Ida Andersson, McKenna Beach, DeAsia Beal, and Kennedi Colclough combined for 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists without committing a turnover in 64 minutes combined.
In Monday's win at Lipscomb, Brittney Chambers came off the bench to score 13 points, and Beal added seven points and four rebounds. Overall, the bench contributed 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the game.
"You feel good as a coach when you know you can substitute and maybe you even get a little bit better," head coach Lynn Bria said. "When that happens, you can go deep into your bench. It also helps as far as the execution because they are not as tired. I think that just helps us tremendously in a lot of ways."
Bria has also been pleased with how well the bench has been engaged and supportive of the players on the floor.
"That was one of the things we really worked on is when you are on the sideline in practice or you are on the bench in a game you still need to be engaged," Bria said. "You still need to be talking and communicating, helping a teammate. We have emphasized that a lot in the past two weeks."
Winners of two in a row, the Hatters (13-5, 2-1 ASUN) will begin a three-game homestand against USC Upstate (8-10, 1-2) Saturday afternoon at the Edmunds Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the front end of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader. The game will be broadcast by WatchESPN and WSBB radio.
The Hatters lead the all-time series 13-6 over the Spartans, although USC Upstate took both meetings last year. Stetson is 7-2 at home this season.
Tickets start at $7.00 for general admission and can be purchased online (GoHatters.com/tix) or the Hatter Ticket Office. Stetson students, faculty and staff are free with a valid I.D.
Live stats, the Stetson women's basketball twitter feed (@StetsonWBB), and the new HatCheck text messaging system will provide in-game updates as well.
NCAA Leaders
For the third week in a row, the Hatters lead the NCAA in free throw percentage with a .822 mark. Individually, Brianti Saunders is tied for the NCAA lead with a .932 mark. She was 8-for-8 from the free throw line at Lipscomb on Monday. She now has made exactly 400 free throws in career, the most in Stetson history and the 10th-highest total in ASUN history.
Surge in Assists
Sophomore McKenna Beach has stepped up her game of late. In Monday's start at Lipscomb, Beach recorded career-highs of 15 points and eight assists while playing 35 minutes. Overall, she has dished out 18 assists in her last three games.
Scoring Touch
Breana Bey continues to dominate in the paint. The Hatter senior went 7-for-10 from the floor at Lipscomb for 17 points, raising her season field goal percentage to .606. That mark leads the ASUN and ranks 13th in the NCAA.
Block Party
With 10 more blocks on the road trip, junior Sarah Sagerer now has rejected 61 opponent shots this season. That mark leads the ASUN and is tied for fifth among all players in the NCAA. She also ranks third all-time in Stetson history in blocked shots with 138.
Taking the Charge
Sophomore Myka Johnson-Matthews drew her 10th charge of the season Monday night at Lipscomb. She now has drawn 20 charges in her career.
Up Next
Stetson hosts NJIT Monday night at the Edmunds Center.
