Daytona Beach, Fla. – The Hatters made program history by winning the Sunshine Slam Championship in their victory over Central Michigan by a score of 71-61. This is the first national tournament that Stetson Men's Basketball has won since the university became Division 1 in 1971.
"Winning the Sunshine Slam Championship is more than a triumph on the court," exclaimed Head Coach
Donnie Jones. "It's a testament to our team's unwavering dedication, resilience, and the shining potential that unites us. This win is a huge opportunity for our team to grow and experience success."
The first half of this contest was a half of runs where it felt like whoever had the run at the end of the half would go in with the lead. With the Hatters down 0-5 early, the offense would jump start getting five points from
Treyton Thompson. The teams traded baskets as the Hatters looked to hold on to their lead when a three-point shot from
Jalen Blackmon hit nothing, but net and Thompson would add another two on a layup to push the lead to nine. Stetson would finish the half on a 9-0 run closing out the half 37-24.
Stephan Swenson and
Aubin Gateretse were tied with the team lead in points at the half with Gateretse having the lead in rebounds with seven.
Central Michigan wasted no time in the second half bringing Stetson's 13-point lead down to four hitting four straight shots. Swenson would swing the momentum back to the Hatters after making a steal and making the layup. Each time that the CMU Chippewas shrank the lead, Stetson would find a way to swing the momentum back in their direction. A Blackmon three would push the lead to 10 but once again was cut down to four. This time
Alec Oglesby drained a three stopping the momentum. Blackmon would put up five straight points increasing the lead back up to ten. It looked like Central Michigan was starting to run out of steam as the Hatters would finish off an 11-0 run that saw them up 66-48, their largest lead of the game. The CMU Chippewas would work to real the Hatters in but to no avail as Stetson would close out the game with a 71-61 victory.
Blackmon caught fire in the second half leading the team with 20 points while shooting 7-13 from the field, including 3-5 from beyond the arc. Swenson wasn't far behind as he finished with 18 points and a team leading eight assists. Gateretse fell just short of another double-double with eight points and grabbing a team leading nine rebounds.
The Hatters will return home for Thanksgiving before preparing for an I4 showdown against UCF. That game will tip off at 4pm in Addition Financial Arena on Sunday, Nov. 26.
