KENNESAW, Ga. – With six players scoring in double figures, the Jacksonville University women's basketball team bounced back with its third win in three games with a 93-83 victory over ASUN Conference foe Kennesaw State, Saturday afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center.

"It was a collective effort from everybody involved. We came together as a group and at the end of the day, got stops," commented head coach Darnell Haney following the Dolphins' third win in four games. "We didn't get stop after stop, but when you play against a good team like Kennesaw State, you might not get that. But we took care of business when it counted at the free throw line in the fourth quarter."

Notably, the Dolphins (11-8, 3-3 ASUN) finished 12-of-14 from the free throw line in the final five minutes to keep the Owls (8-9, 2-4 ASUN) at bay. Leading the charge for JU was redshirt-senior Shakayla Nevitt and sophomore Destiny Marshall, who converted 4-4 and 3-4, respectively, from the line as time wound down. Nevitt finished the day with a team-high 19 points and five rebounds, while Marshall added 17 points and five boards. Additionally, the senior duo of Mariah Batz (14 points) and Alexis Burns (14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) along with juniors Jada Perry (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Alexis Pierce (10 points) all contributed heavily in the win.

A high-scoring battle ensued in the opening quarter, as both teams used a pair of 7-0 scoring runs in exchange for the lead. After knocking down free throws early, the Dolphins erased a 7-0 Kennesaw State run with a seven-point rally of their own to hold a 23-20 lead with 2:51 on the clock. However, the Owls took advantage of a 9-0 run down the stretch to hold a 29-25 lead at the break.

After trading baskets in the early part of the second quarter, Jacksonville sparked a 10-1 surge with baskets from Pierce (6:59, 4:39), Perry (6:19), Nevitt (5:29), and Burns (5:00) to regain the lead, 39-36, with 4:35 remaining before halftime. Three more lead changes occurred, as Batz buried a pair of three-pointers (7:48, 0:37), and the Dolphins capped the half with a 7-2 run for a 51-46 advantage at halftime.

Using an 11-0 run in the third quarter, the Dolphins extended their lead to double digits, 62-49, with 4:28 on the clock and effectively held the Owls scoreless for over five minutes (5:26). After she sustained an injury that resulted in a KSU technical foul, Batz returned to the floor and converted her third triple at 1:27 to give JU its largest lead of the game, 72-58. Although nine of the last 14 points of the quarter came off the hands of KSU's Alexis Poole, the Dolphins held a 72-64 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Noting Batz's contributions from the floor, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc,, Haney added, "I want to commend Mariah Batz – she's probably one of the toughest kids I've been able to coach. She came in and did a tremendous job. I needed her at the point sometimes; I needed her at the wing sometimes, and she shot the ball with confidence." For her efforts, Batz was named Hogdes Mazda Player of the Game. 
 

While a 6-2 Owl run brought things within five, 77-72, with 5:10 remaining in the fourth, Jacksonville kept their relentless identity throughout. Behind made free throws from Nevitt (4:53) and Marshall (4:30), the Dolphins used the charity stripe to their advantage and closed out the quarter shooting 12-14 from the free throw line to keep the Owls in check en route to a 93-83 victory.

Added Haney, "[Alexis} Burns was a huge and [Jada] Perry was humongous defensively; she has a chance to be one of the best defenders ever to come through here, she just needs to make sure she takes care of business in all aspects of her game."

"We're going to keep punching. We're in a fight – it's conference time. We're going to keep progressing and getting better as a group. We have to continue to get stops and get some people healthy so they can add to the party."

Poole led the Owls with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds, while Armani Johnson (18 points), Carlotta Gianolla (17 points), and Gillian Piccolino (14 points) all posted double-digit performances.

The Dolphins return to action on Monday, Jan. 27 when they visit Lipscomb at 7:30 p.m. EST.