DELAND, Fla. – With the new calendar year approaching, both Stetson Basketball programs turn their attention to ASUN Conference play. While the men's team travels to Nashville for the road opener against Lipscomb, both squads will welcome North Florida for the opener in the Edmunds Center on Monday night, with the women's team tipping in the opener at 5 p.m., the men's game following 45 minutes after the conclusion of the women's and tentatively set for 7:30 p.m.
"We've got some inconsistency to work through, but we clearly see what we need to do for conference," head coach
Lynn Bria said following the win over Winthrop "This non-conference schedule has shown us and exposed us in some ways to where we have to get better. That is a good thing. We have a window with some practices where we really have an opportunity to get better. We have to use that."
The women's team has shown some great play in flashes, and through a good non-conference schedule, the coaching staff has been keen on improving aspects of the team. Coming off a win to close out the Hatter Classic, 53-38 over Winthrop, the defense was on display holding the Warriors to single digits in two quarters.
Jaelyn Talley has made an immediate impact, starting all 13 games as a freshman and scoring 11.5 points per game.
Kiya Turner joins Talley with starts in every game pacing the team in rebounds, assists and steals.
"You take them one at a time, they're all different" head coach
Donnie Jones said about the transition from out of conference play to ASUN games. "We have a great chance to continue to improve. Walking into Lipscomb, they had a good non-conference season as well. It'll be a battle every night.
The men's team opened up the season in with a pair of historic wins.
Luke Brown exploded on the scene with 27 points in the season-opening win against Florida State.
Wheza Panzo set a new program record for threes in a single game with 10 against Webber International. The team has shown a high level of competitive play throughout the non-conference schedule and appears eager to test themselves against the ASUN.
The Bison have a good record, 8-5, and were highly competitive against some fierce competition. LU lost to Notre Dame by one, 66-65, and Michigan 83-75 but beat Navy at home, 82-77, and Louisville on the road, 75-67. Like Stetson, they are coming off more than a week off, last playing at Louisville on December 20. The Bisons have averaged 77.8 points per game with three players in double figures, Jacob Ognacevic Will Pruitt and Derrin Boyd. The Hatters got the better of the LU last time the teams met [77-71 on February 2, 2022], but the last five meetings have all been decided by single digits.
The Osprey women's basketball team has struggled, but has played some stiff competition, facing off against Wisconsin, Miami, Auburn and Alabama. Two of UNF's three wins have come in the last five games with a 54-43 win over Bethune-Cookman and a 112-38 throttling of Trinity Baptist in the last action in the state of Florida. The offense flows through Lyric Swann for the Ospreys as she drops 16.0 points per game. Her and her sister Jaelyn Swann have combined 43 of the team's 68 threes.
North Florida has had a similar trajectory as Stetson, battling some tough competition and trying to find team rhythm. The Ospreys have battled three ranked opponents, two of them ranked in the top two in division one at the time with Gonzaga and Houston. The third ranked opponent was a road game at Kentucky. North Florida is currently on a three-game win streak downing Davis & Elkins, Bethune-Cookman and Atlantis. UNF has a three-headed attack of Jarius Hicklen, Carter Hendricksen and Jose Placer, all scoring in double figures each time out.
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).
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