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Abayomi Iyiola
71
Stetson STET 1-7
75
Winner USF USF 5-2
Stetson STET
1-7
71
Final
75
USF USF
5-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Stetson STET 34 37 71
USF USF 40 35 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Athletic Communications

Valiant Effort Comes Up Short at USF

Stetson's Abayomi Iyiola scored a career-high 26 points but the Hatters' best overall effort of the season fell just short as USF held on for a 75-71 win, Wednesday at Yeungling Center in Tampa, Fla.
 
Iyiola finished 10 of 15 from the field and 6 of 10 from the free throw line, adding 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots to his ledger. But the sophomore forward's dominant performance was cut short when he fouled out with 2:07 to play.
 
Stetson's Christiaan Jones also enjoyed a strong game, scoring 20 points, and he hit several big shot down the stretch to keep the Hatters close. Jones' 3-pointer from the corner put Stetson (1-7) within 70-67 with 4:55 to play, and dropped in another huge trey with 2:32 left as Stetson closed to within 73-71.
 
But in the end the Hatters couldn't overcome significant foul trouble and a decided disparity at the free throw line. Iyiola fouled out, and point guards Kenny Aninye and Jahlil Rawley were each saddled with foul trouble throughout the game, finishing with four apiece and missing large chunks of the second half.
 
At the free throw line, USF was 21-of-33 while Stetson made eight free throws in only 14 trips to the line. That +13 advantage in USF's favor figured heavily in the final outcome.
 
Stetson trailed, 40-34, at halftime but stayed in the game and continued to pressure the Bulls (5-2) by shooting 56 percent in the second half. Though the Hatters never led in the final 20 minutes, they also never trailed by more than 10 – and that was only once, when David Collins hit a layup with 9:45 to play to make it 64-54.
 
From that point forward, Stetson controlled play. Stetson got the lead down to three points on three different occasion before Jones' trey with less than three minutes to play made it a two-point game.
 
Leading 74-71, the Bulls missed an opportunity to ice the game when Alexis Yetna missed  a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left. Stetson rebounded the second miss and USF fouled Jones, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity and Yetna made one of two at the line with nine seconds to play on the other end, sealing the win.
 
Stetson shot 49.1 percent for the game, while limiting the Bulls to 43 percent shooting.
 
Yetna led the Bulls with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Quoting Head Coach Corey Williams
"That was our best performance of the year. The guys really battled, we just needed a few plays here and there but the guys played their hearts out. We can in and struck some fear into their hearts. We got better tonight. I told the guys that we can win every game we play and lose the last one and not go to the NCAA Tournament, which is our ultimate goal. These guys have to get better and they certainly did that tonight."
 
News & Notes
  • In addition to his career-high point total, Abayomi Iyiola also set a career bests for blocks (4) while tying marks for field goals made (10), free throws made (6) and steals (2)
  • Christiaan Jones enjoyed his second 20-point game of the season and third of his career. He also had a career-high 4 assists and tied a career mark with 2 steals
  • Marques Sumner had a season-high 6 assists
  • USF's 42.9 field-goal percentage was the lowest for any Stetson Division I opponent this season
  • Stetson's 8 blocked shots are a season high
 
Up Next
The Hatters visit No. 3 Duke, 7 p.m., Saturday.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
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