JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Stetson University women's basketball picked up their fourth straight win while starting conference play 2-0 after picking up a 59-53 win over Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon.

In the triumphant victory, three Hatters achieved double-digit scoring, spearheaded by Khamya McNeal, who led the team with an impressive 12 points, shooting an efficient 5-of-10 from the field. Joining her in the double-digit club were Jaelyn Talley and Quentarra Mitchell, with Mitchell making a notable impact coming off the bench.

The Hatters, commanding the game with a lead of up to 18 points, limited the Dolphins to just 28.8 percent shooting, marking the eighth instance of holding an opponent to 60 points or fewer.

"Proud of our fight especially in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win," said Head Coach Lynn Bria.

Despite an early four-point contribution from Talley, the Dolphins managed to secure a 7-4 lead at the beginning of the contest. However, Mitchell swiftly flipped the script by draining consecutive three-pointers, propelling Stetson into the lead, an advantage they maintained throughout the game.

The pair of three-balls ignited a Stetson surge that saw ten points from four different scorers including Promise Keshi who contributed four first quarter points. Jordan Peete's lay-up with 12 seconds left in the quarter sent the Hatters to the second with a commanding 20-9 advantage.

The senior guard continued her momentum into the second quarter, opening with a lay-up assisted by McNeal., who then answered a Dolphin's make with a lay-up of her own.

Despite a pair of shots from Jacksonville, McNeal ended the Hatter's scoring drought of over five minutes with another lay-up after grabbing the defensive rebound and going coast-to-coast.

Another two minutes passed before the Hatters found the scoreboard again. Freshman forward Diawna Carter-Hartley, in her second career start, drew a pair of fouls, converting all four attempts from the free-throw line. Her second foul drawn occurred in the closing seconds of the half, sending the Hatters to the break with a 30-19 lead.

In a tightly contested start to the third quarter, the ice was finally broken by a McNeal three-pointer nearly four minutes into the period. Two minutes later, Skylar Treadwell expanded the lead to 13 points with a successful shot from beyond the arc, courtesy of a dish from McNeal.
Treadwell and Talley then combined for eight points to conclude the quarter, with Talley contributing five, while the Dolphins also accumulated eight points, six of which were from free throws.

The Dolphins initiated the final quarter with a 10-5 run, with all five of Stetson's points coming from McNeal, who adeptly converted an and-1 opportunity.

Jamiya Turner notched her first basket of the game just before an 11-5 run by the Dolphins narrowed the Stetson lead to five. In the final 30 seconds, the Hatters sank three out of four free throws before Peete sealed the game with a steal, securing Stetson a 2-0 start to conference play and their second consecutive road victory.

As a team, the Hatters posted a shooting percentage of 41.2%, making 21 of 51 attempts from the field. Continuing their dominant performance in the post, Stetson outscored Jacksonville 32-22 in the paint and outrebounded the Dolphins 32-28.

Stetson, now 7-9, will return home to DeLand to host the FGCU Eagles for their Green Out. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday, Jan. 13 at the historic Edmunds Center.

 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.

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