CARROLLTON, GA --Mehki Ellison totaled 25 points and Josh Massey added 21 as the Stetson men's basketball team defeated the West Georgia Wolves 78-62 on the road Saturday.

"We got off to a tough start down 16, but I'm really proud of how our guys responded" said Head Coach Donnie Jones. "Before the game, I put the word 'momentum' on the board and talked about how energy is what creates momentum-and how important it is to shift it and finishing strong. The team really embraced that. We had some great efforts from guys off the bench who stepped up big and carried us to a huge road win today." 

The Hatters faced an early double-digit deficit, but refused to back down. A 9-0 run with just over five minutes remaining in the first half cut the Wolves' lead to 28-23. Stetson continued to battle, and Jordan Wood's clutch three-pointer brought the Hatters within two points. After West Georgia answered, Wood drilled a turnaround jumper just before the halftime buzzer, sending Stetson into the break trailing 32-30.

Massey tied the game up on the Hatters' first possession after halftime. The two teams were knotted up until Mehki Ellison splashed one home from behind the arc making it 39-36. Stetson began to take control, pushing their advantage to 60-54 before embarking on an 8-0 run, fueled entirely by free throws, to extend the lead to 68-54 with 6:48 left. Massey was perfect from the line during that stretch, knocking down all six of his attempts. Stetson kept the pressure on and finished strong, securing their first conference win of the season with a 78-62 victory.

Ellison tied his season high with 25 points and added five assists. Massey chipped in 21 points, and six rebounds,  just one point shy of his season high. Wood finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Canka contributed 10 points and nine rebounds, both narrowly missing a double-double. 

Stetson shot an impressive 67% from the field and 57% from beyond the arc in the second half. Defensively, the Hatters limited West Georgia to just 35% shooting from the field and out-rebounded the Wolves 40-34.

Stetson will return to DeLand for their next matchup, hosting Central Arkansas on Thursday, January 9. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.