JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- Alley-Oops, a record-breaking three-pointer and a streak that continues to grow; combine that and you have a recipe for a Dolphins victory in Swisher. Though it didn't come easy, the Jacksonville men's basketball team clinched what was their 21st consecutive victory in Swisher Gymnasium over the Lipscomb Bisons, 51-44.

The Dolphins (9-6, 2-2) Kevion Nolan was his teams joint leader in rebounds with seven and points with 14. He also led the Dolphins in assists with five.

The first half started slow as both teams held strong defensively and forced a missed five combined shots in the opening two and a half minutes. Nolan got the games scoring going with a layup at the 17:35 mark. While the two sides continued to feel each other out and answer each others makes, Lipscomb got a few tough layups from Ahsan Asadullah and Will Pruitt, complimented by a couple three pointers from Trae Benham and suddenly the Bisons had a 10 point lead with two and a half minutes left in the half. JU's Dylan O'Hearn drained a three with 90 seconds left and Omar Payne sunk both his free throws with under a minute left to limit the damage, but Lipscomb carried a seven point lead in what was an otherwise low scoring first half.

The Dolphins came out flying in the second half. Gyasi Powell sunk a three on the first possession of the half and Nolan followed with a two-point jumper himself; suddenly the Bisons lead was just two. Powell then hit another two point shot to tie the game, and then again from behind the arch for the Dolphins first lead since JU's second bucket of the game.

In the ensuing possession, Lipscomb's Will Pruit attempted a mid-range jumper that was rejected by Omar Payne. Nolan grabbed the rebound and raced down the court before lofting a one handed pass across the rim to a flying Payne who threw it down with one hand. Swisher exploded with cheers in what was the 'Welcome Back' to campus game as the Dolphins, who were down 10 points just five minutes prior, started to build a lead behind a 12-0 run to start the second half.

Lipscomb's Matthew Schner hit a turn around jumper to halt the Dolphins run at 12, but JU responded with a three-pointer from Dylan O'Hearn and consecutive layups from Nolan and O'Hearn again and the Jacksonville lead was up to 10 with just over 12 minutes to play

The resilient Bisons built a run of their own as they closed the gap to just a one point Dolphins lead with 6:32 to play in the game. Both JU and Lipscomb then began to trade baskets, as the Bisons would not give an inch and the Dolphins did not allow themselves to lose their lead.

Up four points with just a minute to play, Jacksonville had the ball and was burning the shot clock to waste time. With the ball in their play makers hands, Kevion Nolan drained a deep three to give his side a seven point lead and enter his name in the JU record books as the 33rd player in Jacksonville Men's Basketball history to hit 1,000 career points.

An electric Swisher and stout Dolphins defense held Lipscomb off the scoreboard the rest of the way and the Dolphins clinched their 21st consecutive victory in Swisher; the fifth longest active streak in Division I.

COACH'S COMMENTS


NUMBERS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tonight's contest is the second time this season JU has held an opponent to under 50 points scored.
The victory is Jacksonville's fourth consecutive over Lipscomb.
Dylan O'Hearn's 14 points is a season high for him and second time he's scored in double figures. His five buckets is also a season high.


UP NEXT

Jacksonville begins a two game road trip on Thursday, January 12th when they travel to Kennesaw State for another ASUN matchup.