MIAMI, Fla. – The Jacksonville University men's basketball team (1-2) took a ride down I-95 to square up with Bowling Green (2-1) at the Watsco Center in Miami, Fla. and despite catching fire from long range in the second half, fell victim to an early run that created the difference, 75-59.
The Dolphins knocked down their very first shot of the evening when
Destin Barnes found space at the top of the lane and buried a triple. He went on to pace JAX in the first half, scoring all eight of his points during those opening 20 minutes. He finished the night with eight points, three boards and an assist.
The story of the first half turned out to be the missed opportunities, however. The Dolphins ran an effective offense and created open chances, but the Watsco Center rims were unkind to the visitors on the scoreboard on this night. Jacksonville was just 5-22 from the floor in the first half.
The second half was a different story entirely. By the end of the game, nine different JAX players recorded points and 11 saw time.
Kevin Norman led the Dolphins in scoring for the first time in his career, knocking in 10 points on 3-8 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line to go with three rebounds and an assist. The Dolphins buried five triples during a second-half comeback that saw them cut the deficit to 14 on multiple occasions but that was as close as they'd come in this one.
David Bell posted nine points and nine rebounds, coming just short of his first double-double of the 2019-20 campaign and
Aamahne Santos added eight points with four boards and four assists.
Trey Sides canned a pair of triples in the second half to account for his six points and
DeAnthony McCallum scored all seven of his points over the final 20.
By the end of it all, the Dolphins had outscored the MAC favorites, 37-35, in the second half to leave this one with some positive momentum heading up to Lowell, Mass. this weekend. There, Jacksonville will face three games in three days opposite the host school UMass-Lowell on Nov. 15, followed by matchups with Dartmouth and Merrimack on Nov. 16 and 17, respectively.
Hodges Mazda Player of the Game: Kevin Norman (10 pts, 3 reb)
