DELAND, Fla. –With two of the top teams in the ASUN locking up, Stetson battled Kennesaw State forcing overtime before eventually falling by the slimmest of margins, a single point, 82-81 in overtime, Thursday night in a packed Edmunds Center.
 
"Well first of all I was proud of how we came back," head coach Donnie Jones said "We got down and give Kennesaw credit they played very well. We put ourselves in a good situation up six but still with a lot of time. Seems like two a half minutes is not a lot of time, but it is. I thought our guys came out and did some really good things and gave ourselves a chance to win."
 
Stetson (10-8, 5-2 ASUN) picked up their first loss in ASUN play in the Edmunds Center. Kennesaw (14-6, 6-1 ASUN) has won the past three competitions.
 
Before the game started, Donnie Jones was honored for his 200 career wins after picking up that win in the last game of the 2022 calendar year with an 86-80 overtime win at Lipscomb.
 
"It always means something," coach Jones said about the individual wins he's had "I've been fortunate to be a part of some really good teams with some great players and great people have played a great role in this. It's something you always cherish."
 
The Owls took a quick lead on the Hatters 24-11 at the midway point of the first half. The Owls lead by as much as 21 points [37-16] before SU before The Hatters could get on track. Stetson's 27 points were overshadowed by the visiting team's 43. Luke Brown and Jalen Blackmon tied for 6 points in the first half, pacing the home team.
 
"We have a model that says, 'start fast, finish strong' I kept telling the guys to believe it," junior guard Stephan Swenson said "Usually when you're down big, some teams give up, some teams compete; we competed. We were able to make a run in the end. We went to the locker room [at halftime] and I think coach only said one thing. Toughness. It's 50-50s. We were playing like we were scared, but we adjusted it and realized if we play with heart good things are going to happen. We had nothing to lose and that was the mindset we played with then all of a sudden, we evened things up."
 
Stetson came out of the locker room ready to fight and started creating plays on both ends of the court to slowly narrowing the score. Blackmon found the shooting touch and pocketed the first eight points of the half cutting the advantage to single digits, 43-35. When KSU thought they had found a reprieve when Brandon Stroud put the visits back up by 10, 45-35, Blackmon knocked down a three at the 17:02 mark to cut the deficit to seven. From that point, neither team would gain a lead larger than seven.
 
"I just thought they were playing well," Jones said "They are a good team and were in first place too coming in here. They executed and are a tough defensively. We made some adjustments in the second half, but I thought that more importantly that we just played with some toughness and started playing better defensively."
 
The Hatters evened the score 47-47 with 13:31 left in the second half off a pair of free throws from Swenson. After a three from Alec Olgesby Stetson took the lead [52-51] into the under-12 media timeout with 11:24 left. The game went back-and-forth before Swenson's three-pointer tied the game 72-72, sending the game into overtime.
 
Stetson built a tenuous advantage in overtime but was unable to close out the contest with Kennesaw escaping DeLand with a one-point win, 82-81.
 
Stephen Swenson helped the Hatters find their rhythm putting up double digits at 18 points Josh Smith led the defense with 5 rebounds.
 
Blackmon [22] and Swenson [23] both eclipsed 20 points on a combined 17-for-30 from the field and eight threes. Swenson and Wheza Panzo tied for the team lead in assists [3]. Josh Smith collected a game-high eight rebounds, pacing the Hats for the eighth consecutive game. Five Hatters had one block.
 
While not necessarily a stat on the scoresheet, Jones praised the home crowd in a statement after the game.
 
"We are very thankful for the crowd," Jones continued "I thought it was great energy tonight, gave us a lift. That makes this a tough place to play when we get that kind of energy. Hopefully, we can get them back in here again and give them a victory for what they've done. I am really appreciative of the crowd tonight and the energy they brought."
 
The Hatters look to bounce back Saturday with Jacksonville State coming to the Edmunds Center Saturday with a 2 p.m. tipoff. Saturday's game will also feature local kid's clubs and be the Military Appreciation Day. The contest will also be live 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 (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.