DELAND, Fla. – Stetson took down a feisty Webber International, 83-59, Saturday afternoon in the Edmunds Center with senior
Wheza Panzo knocking down threes to set a new single-game program record.
The Hatters (5-3) pick up their second win in the Edmunds Center while Webber International performed today's game as an exhibition.
"We got off to a good start, this is a good basketball team we played today," head coach
Donnie Jones said "Those guys have had some good success against some other teams, we knew it wasn't going to be an easy one. We were worried about coming out of finals and how we would respond to that with the tests and a game to play afterwards, we had some let downs in the game, but I thought we fought back and played strong down the stretch. I thought they would compete, they have some division one transfers on this team, and obviously we know from playing teams from this state already, there's some good basketball in the state, so much respect to Webber, we knew they'd play us tough, but our guys finished the game today."
The Hats looked to be in total control early as they scored the first 11 points of the contest, capped off by a steal and fast-break dunk by
Josh Smith at the 16:11 mark, prompting a timeout from the visiting Warriors. After the break, Webber responded, trading baskets with SU before ripping off an 8-0 run to cut the advantage to a single possession, 20-18 Stetson. WIU had a chance to take the lead with the ball, trailing by the aforementioned two points, but 10 straight for Stetson reestablished a double-digit advantage, 30-18. Stetson was up 18, 42-24, at the halftime break.
Both teams came out cold with the first points being tallied two minutes, 20 seconds into the half, but the scoring picked up from there as the Hatters stretched the advantage to 23, 53-30, following a three from Panzo at the 14:49 mark. The Warriors could only chip the advantage down to 12, 69-57, before the Hatters pulled away for the 24-point win, 83-59.
The Hatters made a season-high 15 threes. Panzo is the first Hatter this season to score 30, besting the previous high mark of 27
Luke Brown set against Florida State to open the year. The 10 field goals by Panzo is also a season high while the 19 attempts ties the season high (
Jalen Blackmon against Campbell November 27). The Hatters were a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.
Mahamadou Diawara set a new season best mark of 11 rebounds and was two points away from a double-double.
"I know I am capable of shooting," Panzo said about his performance "My teammates gave me confidence telling me to 'shoot the ball, don't be scared, you're one of the best shooters in the country so you have to shoot' so I just came into today and I just felt like I was going to take good attempts and the team kept passing me the ball. Especially this year, we are an unselfish team. We are all together, we love to move the ball and whoever is hot is going to get it. It happened to be me today, so I was lucky."
The Hatters begin a four-game road swing starting with College of Charleston on Wednesday, that tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by a trip to Athens, Ohio, to face the Ohio Bobcats. SU faces Ohio next Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. Both games will be available on live streaming services.
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 (PDF).
Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.
