JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the second time this season, freshman guard
Da'Nasia Shaw buried back-to-back three pointers to force overtime, but the fourth-seeded Jacksonville University women's basketball team ultimately fell to crosstown rival and five seed North Florida, 77-67, in the ASUN Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Historic Swisher Gymnasium.
Reminiscent of the Dolphins' overtime win against Kennesaw State just two weeks ago, Shaw buried a three-pointer with 25 seconds left in regulation to bring Jacksonville within one, 61-60. UNF's Tiffany Tolbert converted both of her free throws to make it a three-point game, but Shaw once again forced overtime as she buried a pass from senior
Kiara Meeks surrounded by a pair of Osprey defenders with 17 seconds remaining.
The decisive factor proved to be at the free throw line, as Jacksonville (18-12) converted just 10 of its 21 chances at the charity stripe throughout the game. The Ospreys (16-14), however, finished 17-of-18 between the fourth quarter and overtime to outpace the Dolphins 14-4 and walk away with the win.
"Hats off to North Florida," stated head coach
Darnell Haney following the game. "They did a tremendous job coming in and being prepared. They made big plays, big offensive rebounds, and made some free throws down the stretch that pulled the game [in their favor]."
While the Dolphins were without the presence and leadership of redshirt-senior guard
Shakayla Nevitt, who missed the game due to a family funeral, Shaw and redshirt-freshman
Erin Wilson stepped up and made their presence felt. Shaw posted a career-high 19 points in the effort, while Wilson added her second-straight double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jacksonville also received double-digit performances from seniors
Kiara Meeks (12 points, 6 assists) and
Mariah Batz (12 points), while classmate
Alexis Burns chipped in seven.
"It was the 'next man up' mentality.
Erin Wilson gave us great positive minutes;
Mariah Batz and
Alexis Burns came in to help. It was just a collective effort to try and try and get this done without [
Shakayla Nevitt]. She was with us in spirit and we had to make sure she was there to take care of her family," added Haney.
"That was something that we had to work through; we've been hit with adversity all year, and we knew it was just another adverse situation that we had to get through. We had an opportunity to get through it, we just have to make sure we take care of business. The younger kids have to understand how important the little things in basketball are."
Down one, 42-41, heading into the final quarter, Batz hit back-to-back three-pointers (7:35, 6:26) to give the Dolphins a 52-49 advantage with 6:14 to play. The visitors regained the lead twice – on free throws from Dasha Eremeeva (5:03) and Jazz Bond (3:34), but the Dolphins kept punching. A layup from junior
Jada Perry (3:13) and a jumper from Shaw (2:20) kept Jacksonville even before the Ospreys used a 4-0 run to slide ahead and set up Shaw's heroics from beyond the arc to force extra time.
"That's our motto – relentless – so we know to give everything until the buzzer hits zero," added redshirt-senior
Shalonda Neely. "We knew we weren't quitting, regardless of what was happening. We just had that faith in each other and knowing that we have each other's back regardless."
A battle from tip off, the Dolphins used a 10-3 run down the stretch to counter a seven-point Osprey run. Jacksonville tied things at 11 on a jumper from senior
Kiara Meeks (4:08), but the visitors managed a one-point lead, 16-15, at the end of the first. On the first possession of the second, Meeks drove toward the basket and found senior
Alexis Burns, who drained a shot from the corner to give the Dolphins an 18-16 advantage.
Jacksonville extended its lead to double digits, 27-17, on a 10-0 run that featured a three-pointer from freshman
Da'Nasia Shaw (7:52) and a clutch put-back under the basket from freshman
Erin Wilson (6:36). However, a 9-0 Osprey run cut JU's lead to one, 30-29, at halftime.
The battle continued into the second half and featured seven lead changes in the third quarter alone. An 11-5 run, including five points from Meeks, surged the Dolphins to a 41-37 lead, but UNF closed out the quarter with a five-point run of their own to hold a 42-41 lead heading into the final quarter.
Perry finished the day with four points and seven rebounds, while Neely added three points and four rebounds.
North Florida was led by Jazz Bond's 25 points and Jenesha Green's 10 rebounds.
The Dolphins close out the 2019-20 season with an 18-12 overall record, while the Ospreys will face the winner of #1 FGCU and #8 Lipscomb on Wednesday, March 11 in the ASUN Tournament semifinals.
