JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- The Jacksonville men's basketball beat Erskine College 79-52 in what was its final game of the 2023 season on Saturday afternoon.

The Dolphins (9-5) offense erupted and were paced by sophomore transfer, Zach Bell. Bell had a career-high in points with 21 total scored on 46.7% shooting.

Both Stephon Payne III and Josiah Sabino recorded their first career double-doubles for the Dolphins. For Payne, it's the third of his career after he finished with an even 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sabino, a redshirt freshman, had season and career highs in both rebounds, (11), and points scored, (16). This game marks the first time JU has had two players record double-doubles in the same game since 2019 against Bethune-Cookman.

After an otherwise sluggish opening few minutes on the offensive side of the court for Jacksonville, the Dolphins went on a 29-4 run from the first media timeout until the 4:24 mark in the first half. Bell again led the charge, nabbing 15 of the 29 JU points in that span. Stephon Payne III complimented his teammate with six points himself, as JU shot 5-11 from behind the arch during that stretch. The Flying Fleet battled towards the end of the half, but the Dolphins stretched their lead to 19 at 42-23 at the end of the first half.

The second half saw JU extend its lead to as far as 26. Every Dolphin got involved in the action as seven players scored at least three points.

Four Dolphins finished in double figures overall in the contest. Bell led the way, with Robert McCray V following suit with 14 points. His 14 points is his 12^th time this season scoring in double figures.

Jacksonville concluded its non-conference slate today with nine wins, two more than it had a season ago at this time. McCray entered Saturday fourth in the Atlantic Sun in scoring, as he averaged 17.2 points per game. McCray also had the third best shooting percentage in the league, as he sunk 52.9% of his shot attempts. Bryce Workman, despite missing five games, sits seventh in the ASUN in average rebounds per game as the team enters conference play. Workman is currently averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.

To cap off the win in Swisher, head coach Jordan Mincy improved his all-time home record to 28-6 in the historic gymnasium.

 
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Jacksonville returns to the court to begin conference play on January 4^th at Florida Gulf Coast. The game is slated for a 7 PM tipoff and can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on 1010XL.