Hatters Head to Jacksonville to Battle the Dolphins

Both teams own identical records

The Stetson Hatters will go for their sixth win a row Thursday night when they visit the Jacksonville Dolphins at Swisher Gym.

Both teams enter the game 16-5 overall, 5-1 in the ASUN, and tied for second place in the league standings.

"They are big, they have good perimeter players, and they are a good, balanced team," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said about JU. "They are one of the bigger teams in our league, along with us."

Thursday's battle of the boards should prove to be an interesting one. The Hatters have outrebounded all six ASUN opponents by an average of 13.0 per game. However, the Dolphins lead the ASUN in overall rebounding (42.2) and own the ninth-best rebound margin in the NCAA (+10.2).

"I think the big key to the game will be rebounding," Bria said. "I think they are a really good rebounding team, and we have gotten to be a better rebounding team. I think whoever can control the glass will control the tempo of the game.

"I also think fouls are going to be really important," Bria added. "You have to stay in the game. Our bigs can't get into foul trouble."

Stetson's shooting has been terrific during conference play. The Hatters are shooting over 50 percent from the floor (.503) and nearly 40 percent from the arc (.398) against ASUN opponents.

Breana Bey continues to climb the national ranking in field goal shooting. The Hatter senior went 8-for-9 from the floor against UNF to raise her season percentage to .619. That mark tops the ASUN and ranks 10th in the NCAA, She is also shooting a league-best .702 in conference play.

The Hatters lead the all-time series 24-14 over the Dolphins, although the teams split the season series last year. Thursday's game will tip-off at 7 p.m. with live coverage on WatchESPN and WSBB radio. The two teams will meet again in seven days in DeLand.

Live stats, the Stetson women's basketball twitter feed (@StetsonWBB), and the HatCheck text messaging system will provide in-game updates as well.

League Leaders
The Hatters lead in the league in scoring (73.0), field goal pct. (.457), free throw pct. (.807) and assists (15.3). The Dolphins, meanwhile, lead the league in 3-point shooting (.372), blocked shots (4.4), and rebounding (42.2).

Major Defensive Effort
Stetson has held each of its last two opponents, NJIT and UNF, to below 45 points. The Hatters' defense also held those opponents to 13 points or less in seven of the last eight quarters.

21 Game Starts
At 16-5, Stetson has tied for its second-best 21-game start in school history. The Hatters were 17-4 in 2000-01. Stetson has been 16-5 three other times, most recently in 2014-15.

1st Quarter Success
Stetson is outscoring its opponents by 103 points in first quarters this year (385-282). Stetson has led after the first quarter in all six ASUN games, and in 15 of the team's 21 games this year (the Hatters are 13-2 in those games). Stetson has not trailed after the first quarter since Tennessee State led 17-16 after one on Dec. 20.

Milestones Approaching
Brianti Saunders needs two points for 1800, three 3-pointers for 200, 14 points to crack the ASUN all-time top-10 all-time scoring list, and 28 points to become Stetson basketball's all-time leading scorer (men or women) … Sarah Sagerer needs one block to tie Sasha Sims for second all-time in school history.

Up Next
Stetson heads back to Jacksonville to visit UNF at 1 p.m. Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Breana Bey: F; 5' 9"; Senior

#1 Sarah Sagerer: F; 6' 3"; Junior

#10 Brianti Saunders: G; 5' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#23 Breana Bey
: 5' 9"; Senior
: F

#1 Sarah Sagerer
: 6' 3"; Junior
: F

#10 Brianti Saunders
: 5' 4"; Senior
: G

Stetson University Athletics

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Hatters Head to Jacksonville to Battle the Dolphins

Both teams own identical records

Players Mentioned

#23 Breana Bey

#1 Sarah Sagerer

#10 Brianti Saunders

Players Mentioned

#23 Breana Bey

#1 Sarah Sagerer

#10 Brianti Saunders