GAME DAY INFORMATION
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DATE: March 2, 2024
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
The Hatters secured the #2 seed in the 2024 ASUN Playoffs following their 55-51 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins on Thursday night. Stetson, now 16-13 on the season with an 11-4 conference record, will return to the historic Edmunds Center for one last regular season game. They will play host to the North Florida Ospreys on Saturday, March 2 at 2:00 PM as the team honors their senior members. All the action will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available at gohatters.com.
INSIDE THE SERIES
This will be the 39th time that these two programs will meet as the Hatters hold a 25-13 series advantage. While the Hatters hold a slim 11-9 when playing the Ospreys on the road, they have dominated at home, leading 14-4. The series dates back to Jan. 19, 2006 when the Ospreys took the inaugural game by the score off 61 to 55. Recent times have favored the Hatters, however, as they look to extend a six game win streak that includes their last outing, a 61-57 win earlier this season on Jan. 4, 2024.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS (16-13, 11-4 ASUN)
Stetson approaches the the final game of the regular season locked in as the #2 seed for the ASUN Championship. The Hatters hold a 16-13 overall record with an 11-4 record in conference play after picking up a 55-51 win over Jacksonville on Thursday night, their second time in three years reaching 11+ conference wins.
Jamiya Turner paced the Hatters in the victory with 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field while going eight for nine from the line. She has now reached double-figures in 19 games this season and has pulled in five or more rebounds on 18 occasions, after grabbing five boards against the Dolphins.
Khamya McNeal finished with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. She was the lone Hatter to hit a three-pointer in the winning effort as the redshirt-junior guard drained two of them in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell provided 12 points and a team-leading eight rebounds off the bench, her 14th game with five or more rebounds. The graduate pulled in an offensive rebound with 37 seconds left in the game before finishing the layup to push the Hatters ahead by four points. A three-pointer by the Dolphins would cut the lead down to one before Turner buried a pair of clutch free throws. The Hatters would then stifle the Dolphins comeback attempt as Treadwell would hit the dagger free throw to ultimately clinch it.
Overall, the offensive output for Stetson has been fronted by Turner, who maintains a team-leading 324 points, 11.2 per game. Turner showcases a 44.4 percent shooting accuracy from the field (122 of 275) and a 70 percent clip from the free-throw line. The redshirt-senior has reached milestones such as 500 career rebounds and 1,000 career points. She averages 5.4 rebounds per game and leads the team with 59 assists.
As a team, Stetson averages 58.6 points per game, as opposed to a conference third fewest average points allowed (59.2), on 619-1629 shooting from the field (38%) and 115-490 from three-point range. They boast an ASUN fourth-most 1065 total rebounds, 36.7 rebounds per game. Stetson has forced opponents into 487 turnovers and capitalized on them with 12.3 points off turnovers.
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS (9-20, 3-12 ASUN)
North Florida currently holds a record of 9-20, sitting 11th place in the ASUN Conference standings, having not clinched a spot in the ASUN Championship. Most recently the Ospreys fell to FGCU on the road after defeating Kennesaw State 91-84 in double obertime.
In the 2023-24 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the coaches selected UNF 11th in the poll with 33 points after finishing the prior season with a 4-13 conference record. The were selected 7th in the media poll with 234 points and two votes for first.
Following a 7-20 finish last season, the Ospreys have averaged 63.8 points per game and have been outscored by their opponents by an average of 4.7 points.
As a team, they have a shooting percentage of 39.4 percent from the field (673-1707) and 29.2% from beyond the arc (225-771). The Ospreys are rebounding at an average of 35.8 per game and have distributed 12.0 assists per game.
On the defensive end, they allow opponents to shoot 42.2 percent from the field (735-1740) and 30.5 percent from three-point range (160-525), 11th and 8th in the ASUN. The defense has also forced 426 turnovers, scoring 15.4 points off them, while tallying 193 steals and 52 blocks.
Redshirt-Senior guard Lyric Swann, a preseason All-ASUN selection, has started 24 games in 29 appearances and averages 10.1 points per game. She has made 105 field goals including a team-high 57 from beyond the arc. Swann is also averaging 3.0 rebounds per game while assisting on 38 baskets.
NEXT UP
Following Saturday's games, the Hatters will get a clearer picture of the postseason bracket. As it stands, Stetson will receive a first round bye before facing the winner of the #7 vs. #8 game in the Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 9.
