FLORENCE, Ala. – Sophomores Jalen Blackmon and Luke Brown combined for 55 points as Stetson defeated North Alabama, 95-85 in overtime, Saturday night in Flowers Hall. The win lifts the Hats to their best ASUN Conference start in program history.

Stetson (9-6, 4-0 ASUN) improved to 7-2 all time against the Lions. North Alabama (9-8, 1-3 ASUN) dropped its second game at home this year.

"I love how this team has different guys step up and contribute to our wins," head coach Donnie Jones said. "This team has belief and heart. It's what represents us as they love to play for each other."
 
A quick start from both sides led to early field goals, a layup from UNA's Damian Forrest on the opening possession of the contest. Stephan Swenson answered on the trip to the other end of the court with a three. The home side gained momentum and stretched the advantage to as many as 10 points on three occasions, starting with the earliest at 18-8, but the Hatters fought back, chipping away at the advantage, getting to within one, 26-25, with 4:25 left in the first. The Lions took a six-point lead into the break, 41-35.
 
UNA held Stetson at bay as the Hats were getting close but not pulling ahead until Luke Brown started a run for the Hatters. Down five, 54-49, Brown took an inbound pass from Cyncier Harrison off a double screen and splashed the jump shot with the foul. After a defensive stop, Brown took the pass from Blackmon and drained the go-ahead three, 55-54. Harrison added four more on the run as the Hatters built an advantage [59-54]. The Lions persevered though and put together a scoring run, eventually taking a five-point advantage with 2:08 left. In a situation eerily similar to the Lipscomb game, the Hatters held the Lions in check with Blackmon coming up clutch with a layup then assisting Swenson on the game-tying three as the contest went to overtime.
 
Continuing the trend of that Lipscomb game, the Hatters immediately took the lead in overtime with a three, drained by Luke Brown six seconds into the frame with Blackmon assisting. On the next trip down the court, Brown found some space and hit another, this time with Swenson distributing the ball. The next Hatter basket was another three from Brown giving Stetson a five-point advantage [82-77] as UNA was attempting to keep pace with the hot-shooting offense. Turning defense to offense, Brown stole the ball from North Alabama's Jacari Lane and his pass connected with Blackmon as he raced up the court and dunked on the fast break, stretching the margin to seven, 86-79 with 1:54 left in the overtime session. Forced to foul, the Hatters were effective from the free-throw line and took a 10-point home from Florence.
 
Blackmon paced the offense with 29 points, followed closely by Brown's 26. Sam Peek joined the pair in double figures with 12, his second game in a row with double figures. Swenson notched a game-high six assist which was his 20th on the week along with eight points. Josh Smith was all over the boards and grabbed 13 with eight points.
 
As a team, the Hatters committed nine turnovers, the third consecutive game under 10. SU also notched 18 assists on 33 made field goals. The Hats connected on 16-of-20 free throws. Possibly the biggest stat of the night was the 13 made threes on 22 attempts for 59.1 percent.
 
The Hats continue with their road trip, taking flight for the Bluegrass State. First the Hatters head to Louisville to face Bellarmine on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m., then Stetson will travel to Richmond to face Eastern Kentucky for a 3 p.m. tip.
 
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.