DeLand, Fla. --  The Stetson University men's basketball team topped Point University 77-65 Thursday afternoon at the Edmunds Center in the Hatters final non-conference match-up of the season. 
 
The Hatters (6-7) fell behind early in the first half as the Skyhawks (8-7) took a 4-0 lead just three minutes into the contest. After a Josh Smith layup and a Chase Johnston trey, the Hatters took a 5-4 lead and never looked back as Stetson held the lead for the remainder of the game. After Johnston's triple, the Hatters went on a 9-0 run and by the 5:38 mark, the Hatters took a 36-20 lead after a Rob Perry 3-pointer. The Skyhawks made things interesting before the break as Point went on a 17-9 run to cut the Hatters lead to just eight, 45-37, as each team headed to their locker rooms. 
 
Coming out of the break, the Hatters and the Skyhawks continued to trade blows, but then a Johnston layup gave Stetson a 10-point lead and then a trey from a wide-open Stephan Swenson made it a 13-point Hatters advantage. The Skyhawks continued to put pressure on the Hatters and after an RJ Selman 3-pointer, it was a seven-point Stetson advantage, 64-57 with 10:47 left in regulation. The Hatters responded quickly as Stetson went on an 11-3 run over the next five minutes, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Wheza Panzo and then a third one from Rob Perry to all but seal the Hatters victory.  
 
Mahamadou Diawara recorded his first double-double of the season as the junior tallied 15 points and brought down a career-high 17 boards. Perry made a case for his first career triple-double as the Orlando native recorded 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Johnston tallied 12 points of his own in the winning effort. 
 
The Skyhawks Lorenzo Freeman Jr. led all scorers on the night with 28 points as he shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and 10-of-20 overall from the field. 
 
The Hatters finished the non-conference portion of their season with a 6-7 overall record, going 4-0 against non-Division I opponents and were winners of four of their last five games.
 
The Stetson men's basketball team will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 4 when the Hatters begin ASUN Conference action and welcome the Liberty University Flames to the Edmunds Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on EPSN+.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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