JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Clinching a spot in the upcoming ASUN Conference Tournament and evening the River City Rumble series, the Jacksonville University women's basketball team put away North Florida 69-60, Monday evening at UNF Arena.

"The girls battled; they really locked in on the defensive end and made sure [UNF] didn't get as many second-chance opportunities as we gave them the last game," noted head coach Darnell Haney following the win.

Crediting his team, Haney added, "As always, it was a collective effort from us. That's who we are, that's what we do. We're going to be collectively together and in sync playing defense and we have people who can put the ball in the basket on offense. … It was a great team effort; it was huge for us for momentum going into the rest of conference play. We just have to keep grinding a keep punching."

With three of the game's quarters decided by two or less points, the Dolphins (15-10, 7-5 ASUN) commanded their lead behind a decisive 17-12 third quarter and held off the Ospreys (14-12, 7-6 ASUN) throughout the final 10 minutes to secure the win and a spot in the ASUN Tournament.

Three-pointers from freshman Da'Nasia Shaw (9:29) and senior Mariah Batz (7:32) provided an early spark as part of an 8-0 opening run for the Dolphins. Jacksonville added a seven-point run later in the quarter, all off the hands of redshirt-senior Shakayla Nevitt, to extend its lead to 19-9 with 2:53 showing. However, a 10-0 rally by the hosts, which spanned the final minutes of the first quarter and the opening basket of the second, deadlocked things between the crosstown rivals at 19 apiece.

Sparked by a layup (9:24) and a timely block from freshman Shekinah Rachel, the Dolphins used a 6-0 run to regain the lead, 25-19, with 7:56 on the clock. While UNF chipped away to pull within one, a jumper from redshirt-senior Shalonda Neely with two seconds remaining lifted JU to a 35-32 lead at halftime.

An Osprey three-pointer out of the break tied things up once more at 35, but Jacksonville never relinquished its lead for the remainder of the game. Sparked by a drawn Osprey charge by Burns at 3:49, the Dolphins' used a 9-0 run through the remainder of the third and into the fourth, which culminated in Jacksonville's largest lead of the day – a 55-44 advantage with 9:53 left in the game. As the teams battled down the stretch, the Dolphins found an answer to each Osprey basket and finished the game 10-of-13 from the free throw line – including 4-for-4 in the fourth – to hold on for the 69-60 win.

Anchoring the Dolphins' effort, Nevitt played all 40 minutes and finished with a game-high 24 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block to earn Hodges Mazda Player of the Game.
 

Senior Kiara Meeks added 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Shaw posted 10 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Junior Jada Perry, Batz, and Burns all led JU on the glass with six rebounds each.

For the Ospreys, Jazz Bond recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Dash Eremeeva added a team-high 15 points and five boards in the loss.

The Dolphins return to action this Saturday, Feb. 22 when they welcome Kennesaw State to Historic Swisher Gymnasium at 1 p.m. The game also serves as Senior Day with a special ceremony recognizing JU's five seniors.