JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University women's basketball team continued its hot streak in Historic Swisher Gym as the Dolphins avenged an earlier loss to ASUN Conference foe North Alabama with a 67-56 victory, Saturday afternoon.With its win over the Lions, the Dolphins improve to 13-8 overall, 5-3 in the league, and an outstanding 8-3 at home in Swisher; it is also JU's first win over North Alabama since the Lions joined the ASUN in 2018-19.

Noting his team's persistent nature, head coach Darnell Haney noted, "We kept punching. Even though we didn't shoot well from the three-point line, the deciding factor was defense and transition defense. I thought we did a good job of getting back [on defense] and playing well in transition and it helped us tremendously, especially guarding [North Alabama] at the three-point line."

While neither team was able to connect consistently from beyond the arc, Jacksonville – which ranks 73rd in the nation in three-point field goal defense – kept the Lions from feeling comfortable from range: UNA was 0-13 on three-point attempts in the second half.

"[The second and third quarters] were huge. We want to make sure we come out each quarter and make sure that we're the best team in those first five minutes. We did that in the third quarter; we came out aggressively and came to battle. … We celebrate this win tonight and get ready for Monday tomorrow. We're going to prepare and make sure we're ready."

A pair of senior guards combined for 36 of the Dolphins' 67 points to lead the offensive efforts. After being held scoreless in the previous game, Shakayla Nevitt dropped a team-high 19 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the second quarter. Nevitt also brought down six rebounds, picked off three steals, and dished out an assist. Kiara Meeks posted a season-high 17 points, to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, for her second-straight game in double figures and sixth on the year. For her efforts, Meeks earned Hodges Mazda Player of the Game.
 

From the opening tip both teams pushed the pace of the game, but it was an early 6-0 run that gave the Dolphins their first lead of the game – 10-5 – with 6:38 on the clock. A five-point run out of the media timeout gave the Lions (14-6, 5-3 ASUN) a taste of the lead, 14-13, but baskets from redshirt-freshman Erin Wilson (2:02) and Meeks (0:54) gave the Dolphins a lead it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way.

With a slight 18-17 lead heading into the second quarter, Jacksonville quickly went to work extending its lead. A 10-point run – all of the hands of Nevitt – carried the Dolphins to its largest lead of the first half, 38-23, with 2:11 remaining. The Houston, Texas native notched three more points the old fashioned way after completing an and-one with 1:03 showing, and although UNA's Ivy Wallen hit a pair of free throws at the 0:40 mark, Jacksonville held its double-digit lead at the break, 41-30.

Returning to the floor with their signature stingy defense in the third, the Dolphins pushed their lead to as many as 23, 57-34, on a jumper from Wilson (1:43). The hosts held the Lions to just eight points in the quarter, and took control with a 59-38 advantage.

UNA threatened with a 9-3 rally to open the final stanza and worked to get within striking distance, but the Dolphins kept the Lions at bay en route to JU's third straight win.

Dominating the boards, junior Jada Perry brought down a game-high 12 rebounds for her seventh game this season with 10 or more rebounds. Coming off the bench, freshman Shekinah Rachel pulled in six rebounds, while Wilson finished the day with four points, three rebounds, and three steals.

Brittany Panetti notched a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds for North Alabama, while Ivy Wallen added 12 points, five assists, and four steals in the loss.

The Dolphins return to action on Monday, Feb. 3 when they play host to Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m.