GAME DAY INFORMATION
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DATE: Dec. 17, 2023
TIME: 2:00 PM |
LOCATION: Edmunds Center
DeLand, Fla. |
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GAME DAY LINK
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LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
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THE LEAD
After their two-game road-trip took the Hatters as far west as Denver, they return home before the holiday break to host the Morgan State Bears on Sunday, Dec. 17. Tip-off for the Military Appreciation/Hometown Heroes game is scheduled for 2:00 PM at the Edmunds Center.
INSIDE THE SERIES
This Sunday will mark the first meeting ever between these two programs. While the Hatters have never played the Bears before, they have met with MEAC teams three times prior, holding a 2-1 record against the current conference.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS (2-8, 0-0 ASUN)
Stetson approaches the weekend showdown with an overall record of 2-8 after dropping their last game on the road against Denver last weekend. Stetson looks to stay undefeated at home as both their wins have come inside the Edmunds Center.
Leading the Hatters on offense in their last game was
Jamiya Turner who finished with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting as she tallied double-figures for the seventh time this season and the fourth time in the last five games.
So far this season, the offensive output for Stetson has been fronted by Turner, who maintains a team-leading 122 points, 12.2 per game. Turner showcases a 44.9 percent shooting accuracy from the field (48 of 107) and a 78.8 percent from the free-throw line, fifth highest in the ASUN.
Jordan Peete, with eight starts this season, averages 9.3 points per game, making a team-high 12 of 42 shots from beyond the arc.
Khamya McNeal and
Promise Keshi have been a key piece in the rotation as they average 8.2 and 4.5 points, the former hitting a pair of threes in her last outing for the second-straight game.
Keshi leads the team in steals, contributing 17 steals, tied for tenth most in the conference.
Jaelyn Talley has excelled on the glass, leading the Hatters with 65 total rebounds, 6.5 per game. Her 35 offensive rebounds rank tied for second-most in the ASUN and she ranks sixth most in total boards.
Skylar Treadwell has pulled in 56 rebounds on the season after grabbing 21 against High Point earlier this season.
As a team, Stetson averages 55.8 points per game, as opposed to a conference fourth fewest average points allowed (62.9), on 213-617 shooting from the field (34.5%) and 40-194 from three-point range. They exhibit a conference third-best free-throw percentage of 70.8 percent (92-130) and boast an ASUN seventh-most 369 total rebounds, 36.9 rebounds per game. Stetson has forced opponents into 156 turnovers and capitalized on them with 13.6 points off turnovers.
SCOUTING THE BEARS (4-6, 0-0 MEAC)
Morgan State enters the game with a current record of 4-6, sitting third place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings, most recently picking up a 65-42 win over UMBC in the Charm City Hoops Classic last Saturday to put an end to a three game skid.
In the 2023-24 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the coaches voted Morgan State third in the poll with 86 points and a vote for first place after finishing the prior season with a 10-4 conference record.
Looking to build off of a 17-12 finish last season, the Bears average 56.7 points per game and have been outscored by their opponents by an average of 5.3 points.
As a team, they have a shooting percentage of 35 percent from the field (208 of 595) and 22.6% from beyond the arc (37 of 164). The Bears are rebounding at an average of 34.7 per game and distributing 9.5 assists.
On the defensive end, they allow opponents to shoot 42.3 percent from the field (223 of 527) and 35.9 percent from three-point range (60 of 167), sixth and eighth in the MEAC. The defense has also forced 182 turnovers, scoring 19.2 points off them, while tallying 134 steals and 24 blocks.
Sophomore Guard Gabrielle Johnson, a second team MEAC Preseason All-Conference selection, leads the team with a conference 15th-best 9.8 points per game on 35 percent shooting. Johnson also leads the Bears with 24 assists while grabbing 27 boards, 2.7 per game. While senior guard Sedayjha Payne leads the team's defense with 28 steals, Johnson follows close behind with 26.
Sophomore forward Kaia Ponder, who has blocked a team-leading 10 shots, has averaged 8.3 points per game in nine appearances. She has also pulled in 44 total rebounds, 29 of which have come on offense, sixth most in the MEAC.
Graduate forward Joelle Johnson has gone 36-of-98 from the field for 7.9 points per game while excelling on the glass, pulling in 6.3 rebounds per game, sixth most in conference. Her 26 offensive rebounds trails just shy of her teammate in the conference rankings.
Freshman guard Amari Smith has hit a team-high eight three-pointers in 10 games, nine of which were off the bench. Most recently, she hit 2-of-5 shots from beyond the arc in the team's win over UMBC in their last outing.
NEXT UP
Stetson will continue their homestand on Tue-Wed when they host North Carolina A&T and Valparaiso for the Holiday Hoops Classic. Tip-off for the game with the Aggies will be on Tuesday at 11:00 AM while the game against the Beacons will be Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Both games will take place at the Edmunds Center and both games will be streamed on ESPN+ with stats available at GoHatters.com
