JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –After picking up a hard-fought win over Jacksonville Thursday, Stetson fell to North Florida, 92-81, Saturday afternoon in UNF Arena completing the Jacksonville road series for the Hatters.
The Hatters (14-11, 9-5 ASUN) fall to a Florida ASUN foe for the first time this season. UNF (11-15, 6-8) picked up its ninth home win.
The Osprey offense was on point from the outset as Jose Placer knocked down a three 12 seconds into the game. One minute 59 seconds in, UNF pushed the advantage to 7-2. The ebb and flow of the game saw the Hatters get within three, 14-11 after
Aubin Gateretse made a layup at the 12:09 mark, but the response from the home side was a layup followed by three consecutive threes. The Ospreys led by as many as 14 twice, 33-19 at the 5:10 mark, but settled for an eight-point advantage entering halftime.
The UNF offense continued clicking in the second frame, going up by 17, 55-38, within four minutes of the second half beginning. Despite a good Hatter offensive performance, above the team average in points-per-game, Stetson was unable to move closer than eight points away from the Ospreys, as they notched an 11-point win, 92-81.
Jalen Blackmon [18],
Stephan Swenson [15] and
Sam Peek [13] notched double figures for the Hatters with
Wheza Panzo and Alec Olgesby each a basket away. Panzo grabbed seven boards with
Mahamadou Diawara grabbing six. Swenson dished out five assists, a team high. Peek also registered a game-high three steals. Stetson recorded 13 assists on 31 field goals.
The Hatters return to DeLand to face another familiar foe, FGCU in the Edmunds Center Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The game will be an "Our Kind of Stetson" White Out game! For those of you unable to attend, the game will be live streamed 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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