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Perry
Backcourt Visions
68
Winner Stetson Stet 7-8,1-1 ASUN
66
North Florida UNF 4-11,0-2 ASUN
Winner
Stetson Stet
7-8,1-1 ASUN
68
Final
66
North Florida UNF
4-11,0-2 ASUN
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Stetson Stet 31 32 5 68
North Florida UNF 26 37 3 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Athletics Communications

Johnston and Perry lift Hatters past Ospreys in OT thriller

Jacksonville, Fla. -- With 2:23 remaining in regulation, the Stetson University men's basketball team overcame a six-point deficit as two free throws from junior Rob Perry sent the game into overtime. Then, with 1.9 seconds left, Chase Johnston hit the game-winning 3-pointer to give the Hatters the 68-66 win over the Ospreys at UNF Arena. 

In overtime, the Ospreys drew the first blow with a 3-point field goal to take a 66-63 lead. The Hatters answered with a Johnston floater in the paint to make it a one-point Stetson deficit. With 30 seconds left, UNF's Carter Hendricksen missed a 3-pointer and Mahamadou Diawara came down with the rebound and after getting across half court, the Hatters called a timeout to set up their final play. After a missed floater from Perry, Diawara came down with another rebound but was tied up and a jump ball was called, keeping possession with the Hatters. With 1.9 seconds left, Stephan Swenson inbounded his pass to Johnston who connected on a trey at the buzzer to send the Hatters bench into a frenzy and giving Stetson its first ASUN win of the year. 
 
With 2:39 left in the second half, Perry missed a 3-point field goal and on the ensuing Stetson offensive rebound, the Ospreys gained possession on a steal by Emmanuel Adedoyin, resulting in a made jumper from UNF's Jose Placer to put the Ospreys up 63-57 with 2:23 left in regulation. Perry made it a two-point Hatters deficit with a jumper in the paint and then a layup after a UNF turnover. With just seconds left and no timeouts, the Hatters gave the ball back to Perry who drove to the basket and was fouled, sending the 86.7 percent free throw shooter to the line. With a raucous UNF crowd in his ears, the Orlando native knocked them both down to knot the contest at 63 apiece, setting up Johsnton's heroics.
 
The Hatters (7-8, 1-1) faced an early deficit, but a Wheza Panzo 3-pointer made it a one-point deficit at 15-14 with 10:15 remaining in the half. Panzo's trey began an 11-0 run for the Hatters and after the junior's second of the half, the Ospreys (4-11, 0-2) were forced to call a timeout, as the Hatters led 22-15 with 8:09 left in the half. The Hatters and Ospreys continued to trade blows but the contest went into the break with the Hatters leading 31-26. 
 
At the 16:33 mark in the second half, UNF took a 36-35 lead and for the next three minutes, the Hatters and Ospreys would trade leads until a Jose Placer 3-pointer gave UNF a 42-39 edge with 13:06 left in regulation. After a 7-0 UNF run, the Ospreys held a 45-39 lead, but it did not last long as the Hatters knotted the contest at 45-all with 9:36 remaining. Before the 2:23 mark, neither team held a lead larger than four as the Stetson and UNF played a back-and-forth second half, but it was the Hatters that came out on top, 68-66. 
 
"It's kind of a feel for the game," Perry said. "Whoever's hot at the moment, that's just who coach puts the ball in their hands and just run through the team so whoever's open, that's who we're looking for." 
 
"We were looking to read and react," said head coach Donnie Jones of Johnston's game-winner. 
 
Perry led all scorers on the night with 22 points while Johnston tallied 12 and Christiaan Jones recorded 10. Johnston extended his double figure scoring streak to seven games in a row, dating back to Dec. 13 against Johnson University. 
 
Jose Placer led the Ospreys with 21 points and was 7-for-7 from the stripe. 
 
The Stetson University men's basketball team will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 11 as the Hatters travel back to Jacksonville to take on Jacksonville University in another ASUN Conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. 
 

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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