JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University women's basketball team avenged its series-opening setback against Florida Gulf Coast with a 73-65 victory over the Eagles Saturday afternoon. The decision – the Dolphins third success over FGCU in program history – also saw senior forward Christin Mercer score her 1,000th career point.

She finished the evening with a game-high 23 points while Brandi Buie added 19, Jasmyn Brown 14 and Sherranda Reddick 13.

"I just played for my team," said Mercer. "We played together and played within ourselves instead of letting the outside affect us. We needed this win. The first one [at FGCU] slipped away and we didn't do what we needed to against Stetson, but we redeemed ourselves tonight." 

Similar to the teams' first meeting, the final minutes of regulation saw a lot of action. Jacksonville led by nine, 56-47, at the start of the fourth quarter but saw the edge slimmed to one at the two-minute mark.

The closeness, however, was no cause for concern as Buie, Brown and Reddick swished three-pointers on the Dolphins' next three possessions before Mercer cemented the game at the free-throw line where she recorded her milestone point. 

"I don't want to downplay it because this was a big deal but more than anything, this win shows where we are trying to go," said Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "This game isn't our defining moment. We have a lot more work to do but I'm proud of the fight."

The first half saw five lead changes and six ties before Jacksonville took control with a 37-36 advantage at the break.

In the decision, the Dolphins improved to 17-6, 6-2 in ASUN Conference play. Their last regular season victory over the Eagles occurred in their first-ever meeting on January 5, 2008. 

Facing Stetson for the second time in less than a week, the Dolphins visit DeLand, Fla., for a 7 p.m. contest next Wednesday.