DELAND, Fla. – A stout defensive performance by the Hatters put Stetson back into the win column as SU overcame Bellarmine, 50-48, Thursday night in the Edmunds Center.
 
Stetson (9-12, 3-5 ASUN) has won four of its last five games on home court. Bellarmine (7-14, 3-5 ASUN) had its three-game win streak snapped.
 
"She [Gracie Merkle] just came off a 29-point 24-rebound game, I knew we needed to do something, and we did," head coach Lynn Bria said "We did well to keep her at 16, and she got most of that in the fourth quarter off free throws. She's effective and demands a lot of attention. I thought we had a good team effort. We won the paint and that was the key. I told our kids, we win the paint and we probably win the game, and that's what happened."
 
The offense was in spurts with both teams trying to lock up the defensive side of the court. SU got on the board first with a pair of free-throws, 2-0, converted by Kiya Turner. The first quarter saw a three-minute phase where neither team scored with Gracie Merkle protecting the rim for BU and the Hatters countering with fronting the Knights' center. BU took the an 11-8 lead after the first quarter.
 
After the visitors got points on their first trip down the floor, the Hatter offense set the tone for the second quarter. Jamiya Turner made a layup off a fast break with two free throws followed by Kiya Turner. Then Kiya Turner knocked down a three-pointer as the Hatters took lead 15-13. Khamya McNeal and Sydney Gouard added jumpers to stretch the advantage to six, 19-13 before BU answered on the next possession. Jaelyn Talley hit a pair of free throws with Lucy Robertson answering on the other end before the midway point of the game [22-19].
 
The Hatters started off the second half with Jamiya turner sinking a three at 8:24 mark. Despite BU tying the game and taking a one-point advantage, 30-29, a surge from the Stetson offense, due to smart ball movement to open players for layups and made free throws, kept the home side in front at the end of the quarter, 39-32.
 
Stetson continued to keep visitors at bay as the advantage was held at two possessions until the 6:07 mark when the Knights cut it to three, 40-37. The visitors pushed in front three minutes later when Merkle made a layup, 45-44 Knights with 2:48 left. Fifteen seconds later, Stetson reclaimed the lead with Jaelyn Talley hitting a layup on the other end after a move by Jordan Peete attracted the defense and the guard's pass left Talley wide open for the bucket with the home side calling timeout directly after to regroup defensively.
 
Coming out of the timeout, Stetson forced a turnover that Kiya Turner took coast-to-coast for a layup. On the following possession, Jamiya Turner hit Peete in stride as she took it the distance for layup that built the advantage back to two possessions, 50-45, with 87 seconds left. Merkle got to the charity stripe on the next possession but missed both tries with Mali Morgan-Elliott collecting the rebound. After a missed shot by Stetson, Bellarmine's Miyah Brown converted a layup with the foul, making the score 50-48 with 39 seconds left.
 
Opting to let the game play out, McNeal dribbled out almost the entire shot clock, leaving herself enough time to drive the lane and attempt a layup, but missed the shot with Bellarmine grabbing the rebound and calling timeout. After both coaches called timeout to attempt to counter each other, the Knights had a good look with Brown attempting a layup and missing, collecting her own rebound, then missing again with Jamiya Turner collecting the second miss before being fouled. Not in a bonus situation, the Hatters got the ball in, and held on for the two-point home win, 50-48.
 
"We needed this one," senior guard Jamiya Turner said "and as a team I felt like we did our part. We executed plays and executed defense especially at the end playing in our zone defense. We gave up some fouls, but we executed on the offensive end to make up for those and we rebounded well."
 
Jamiya [14] and Kiya Turner [10] both scored in double figures, the later also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. SU recorded eight assists on 17 field goals with nine steals.
 
The Hatters stay in the Edmunds Center awaiting a rematch from earlier in the year as Eastern Kentucky makes the trip to DeLand. The game will tipoff at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+, link available on the schedule page.
 
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.