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Christiaan Jones
59
Liberty Lib 11-5,3-2 ASUN
65
Winner Stetson Stet 4-5,2-1 ASUN
Liberty Lib
11-5,3-2 ASUN
59
Final
65
Stetson Stet
4-5,2-1 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Liberty Lib 31 28 59
Stetson Stet 25 40 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Athletic Communications

Shorthanded Hatters Rally Past Liberty, 65-59

Christiaan Jones and Chase Johnston combined for 39 points and 16 rebounds to lead short-handed Stetson to a 65-59 win over defending league champion Liberty, in ASUN Conference play Friday at Edmunds Center.
 
Playing without starting big men Mahamadou Diawara (injured) and Joel Kabimba (personal), and also missing back-up big man Gabriel Wuor (injured), the Hatters (4-5 overall, 2-1 ASUN) dressed just eight scholarship players on Friday but still managed to come away with the win.
 
But this was really a total team effort, and it needed to be as Liberty (11-5, 3-2) entered the weekend atop the ASUN standings. The Flames already have wins this season against Mississippi State and South Carolina, making Friday's victory even more impressive. But it certainly wasn't easy.
 
Trailing 29-20 with 4:48 to play in the first half, and behind 31-25 at halftime, the Hatters found themselves down 40-33 with 14:45 to go before storming back. Stetson went on a 14-2 run over the next 5:21, taking a 47-42 lead on a pair of free throws by Jones with 9:24 left.
 
Liberty eventually trimmed the lead to two (52-50) before the Hatters took control for good with a 6-0 spurt. Two more free throws by Jones made is 58-50 with 3:25 to play. Stetson went 7 for 8 from the line in the final 35 seconds to seal the win.
 
Jones was 6 of 12 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free throw line, adding 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Johnston was 7 of 16 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Freshman Giancarlo Valdez joined Jones and Johnston in double-digits with a season-high 11 points.
 
Chris Parker led Liberty with 18.
 
Game Notes
  • Christiaan Jones has been on a tear over his last 5 games, averaging 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.2 steals per game
  • Jones has reached double figures in points in 5 straight games, the longest such streak of his career
  • Since starting the season 0-4, the Hatters have now won 4 of their last 5 games
  • Stetson was just 6 of 25 from 3-point range against Liberty, snapping a streak of four straight games with at least 10 3-pointers
  • Giancarlo Valdez's previous season high in scoring was 6 points, which he accomplished twice. He was 4 of 6 from the field with a pair of triples on Friday.
  • The Hatters shot just 38.2 percent from the field on Friday (21-55), their lowest team field-goal percentage in a victory since shooting 35.6 percent at South Carolina on Dec. 30, 2019
 
Up Next
The Hatters and Flames close out their two-game weekend set 5 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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