DELAND, Fla. – Despite keeping within striking distance for three quarters, Stetson women's basketball fell to Eastern Kentucky =, 83-70, Saturday afternoon in the Edmunds Center.
Stetson (9-13, 3-6 ASUN) split the weekend results with a win and a loss. Eastern Kentucky (13-9, 6-3 ASUN) also split the weekend results.
The Hatters started off strong on offense, with
Jamiya Turner scoring the first points of the game, 2-0, 17 seconds into the contest. After a three-minute period of steady action,
Kiya Turner blocked a pass from Antwainette Walker, turning that steal into a fastbreak layup. With 15 seconds left on the clock,
Jaelyn Talley made a layup, ending the first quarter up three on the visitors, 23-20.
The Colonels found rhythm in the second quarter, eventually building an advantage. Down by nine with three minutes left in the quarter, 40-31,
Jordan Peete fired the Hatters back to a two-possession game with a three.
Skylar Treadwell connected with Peete to end the half with a layup, but SU was still down four, 42-38.
Anabel Ellison hit a three-pointer on Stetson's first possession of the second half, but the visitors answered with a three of their own 19 seconds later, on their first possession. The teams answered each other stride for stride as the Colonels kept the Hatters in check with neither team building more than a six-point lead. With a one-point game, 58-57 EKU, the Colonels scored five consecutive points to end the frame, building a 63-to-57 advantage moving onto the final quarter.
With the game hanging in the balance, Eastern Kentucky stretched the advantage to 13, 70-57, after scoring the first seven points of the quarter. The Hatters were unable to get the margin back to single digits to make a run to catch up as the visitor's offense slowed the pace of the game but continued to make shots in crunch time with the final score favoring Eastern Kentucky 83-70.
Five Hatters scored in double figures, led by a game-high 18 from
Khamya McNeal off the bench.
Kiya Turner [13],
Jamiya Turner [11] and Talley [13] also reached double figures. Peete rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10, also coming off the bench. Talley collected a team-high seven rebounds, four of those on the offensive glass, while dishing a team-high four assists.
The Hatters begin a crucial stretch that will have an impact on the season as six-consecutive games will be played in Florida. With the next three games on the road, Stetson faces North Florida at UNF Arena on Thursday with a 7 p.m. tipoff. Jacksonville and FGCU will follow that with FGCU, Austin Peay and Lipscomb all coming to the Edmunds Center following that. All those games will stream 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).
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