Macon, Ga. - The Jacksonville University women's basketball team (4-7) went down fighting in a back-and-forth game against Mercer (5-8) in Hawkins Arena on Sunday.
Although the Mercer Bears got off to a quick start, creating a 6-0 lead two minutes into the opening of the first quarter, the Dolphins swiftly rallied back, going on a 14-6 run of their own. Edyn Battle contributed seven of the Dolphin's 14 points, and the Jacksonville bench was responsible for the rest in the quarter. With 4:12 remaining, JU had taken control of the game, and thanks to a second chance bucket from a missed free-throw, Jalisa Dunlap created the largest lead for JU in the quarter, 16-12. JU had taken double the number of shots beyond the arc in the quarter, creating the small 20-21 lead the Bears were able to possess going into the second.
Dolphins guard Kyshonna Brown reclaimed the lead early in the following period, with the help of Dunlap and Battle to hold off the Bears. This back-and-forth basketball, with seven lead changes in just 17 minutes of play, saw the Bears tie the score again at 25-25 with 5:56 left. A minute later, JU managed to match their largest 4-point lead (30-26) after Mercer attempted to regain advantage. More tradeoffs of buckets persisted until the midway horn, with Dolphins' top scorer Battle leading all scorers with 13 and Bre'Yanna Frazier right behind her with seven, giving the Dolphins a 35-32 lead before the second half.
The third quarter witnessed the Bears going on a 30-14 run, putting the Dolphins in a 13-point hole, and the game continued to be too much for the green and white to handle. On a pair of free throws by Battle to open the fourth, JU got within the closest striking distance they would see in the quarter. The Bears extended their lead to as much as 20 with 3:49 remaining in the game. However, the Dolphins fought back, going on a 9-0 run to finish the night 63-74. It was evident that JU simply ran out of time before they could regain the lead, as the Bears couldn't put a halt to the Dolphin offense in the final minutes.
UP NEXT
The Dolphins stay on the road to travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama and take on the tide. The game is set for Wednesday, December 20 and will begin at 7 p.m. Broadcast will be streamed live on SECN+.
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