HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An all-around team effort helped the Jacksonville University women's basketball team snap a two-game skid as the Dolphins dispatched Florida International University, 77-52, Sunday afternoon at Historic Swisher Gymnasium.

The victory marks the Jacksonville's fifth in the last five meetings with the Panthers, and sixth win overall in the all-time series. Now 5-5 on the year, the Dolphins are also the first team to hand FIU a loss on the road this season.

As a team, the Dolphins set the pace with 23 assists on 32 shots and forced 13 of FIU's 19 turnovers. With nine of those assists to her credit, senior Kiara Meeks stands tied for third all-time in a single game in program history.

"Our group played well; I was proud of the way they came back after the first quarter and defended. We played with energy and enthusiasm, and we came out and played Jacksonville Basketball today," applauded Haney. "That was the most proud of them I've been in the two years I've been head coach. We moved the ball, passed it, got it to the open person. It was just an all-out team effort. Everybody played their role to the best of their ability and we came out and got the victory."

Leading the way for Jacksonville, redshirt-senior Shakayla Nevitt posted a game-high 25 points, with four rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks to earn Hodges Mazda Player of the Game. Sophomore Destiny Marshall added 19 points, while junior Jada Perry brought down a season-high 12 rebounds.
 

Jacksonville leapt out to a 6-0 run in the first quarter with a pair of early free throws from senior Alexis Burns (9:31) and baskets from Nevitt (9:17) and sophomore Destiny Marshall (8:39). While the Panthers (2-6) took the lead on two separate occasions with 4:56 and 4:15 on the clock, respectively, Jacksonville led by as many as nine and closed out the quarter with a 25-19 advantage.

While the Dolphins outpaced the Panthers in the second quarter, it was a 7-2 run that brought FIU within six, 32-26, with 4:41 remaining before halftime. However, those seven points were all Jacksonville allowed over the next 10:43 as the Dolphins extended their lead to 44-26 at the break.

Coming out of halftime with their signature stifling defense, Jacksonville used an 11-0 run to break the game open for its largest lead of the game, 55-26. Back-to-back threes from Giulia Bongiorno (3:37) and Fujika Nimmo (1:47) led the visitors on a 10-point rally though the Dolphins held their sizable lead, 61-41, heading in the final period.

With six of her 19 points in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Marshall matched the Dolphins' 29-point lead to make it 74-45 in favor of the 'Phins with 2:35 showing. Though a seven-point run surged the Panthers late, a three-pointer from freshman Da'Nasia Shaw with 12 seconds left put an exclamation point on the game, 77-52.

Along with current assistant coaches Briona Brown '16 and Stephanie Edwards '14, the Dolphins celebrated Alumni Weekend with several notable former 'Phins in attendance: 1,000 career-point scorers Ashley Williams '08, Virginia Gregoire '09, Regina Omoite '09, and current Associate Dean of Students DaVina Hamilton '09.

Added Haney, "It's awesome for [the team] to see what they can be 10 years from now. We have different people doing different things because of Jacksonville women's basketball and the relationships they built while they were here at the university. It's awesome for them to see that. They've seen alumni who have been here two years ago, a year ago, but it's nothing like seeing what it'll be like 10 years from now.

"It's just an all-around great win; my staff did an awesome job in the scout making sure they were ready and the girls were prepared. We celebrate today and start preparing tomorrow."

The Dolphins return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 17 when they head to Tallahassee for a matchup with Florida A&M. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.