Charlotte, N.C. - Head Coach Special Jennings and The Jacksonville women's basketball team (5-11,1-2) defense led to a narrow win over Atlantic Sun foe, Queens (6-10,0-3). Jennings would walk away with her very first conference win as a collegiate head coach, 54-52.  

Queens started the game in a full-court press defense, falling back into a zone defense, but their strategy was quickly dismantled three minutes into the quarter. A post entry pass to Jada Duckett broke the Queens' defense, and she successfully executed a challenging turnaround jumper. The Queens zone continued to struggle, with Edyn Battle draining a long three-pointer and Sana'a Garrett making a crafty drive and finish, extending the lead to 7-2 before the first timeout with 5:29 remaining. Jada Jones maintained the momentum with an old-fashioned three-point play. The Dolphins' offense continued to run on high steam, building a 12-2 lead with three minutes left, courtesy of another layup by Battle. Despite the Royals' efforts, Saniyah Craig and Jones executed multiple big-to-big actions, adding two more significant buckets to rewrite the score to 17-11 before the first quarter ended. 

The Dolphins continued to keep the Royals at bay, with Battle contributing more buckets and a bundle of free-throws by Jalisa Dunlap and Garrett, gave JU a six-point lead, 23-17, three minutes into the second quarter. Queens responded with a 6-0 run, tying the game two minutes before halftime. Drawing another foul, Jones proceeded to go 5-for-5 from the line while Battle emphatically responded with an and-one, regaining the Dolphin lead 29-23 before the end of the second quarter. Battle led all scorers with 10 points, and Jones closely followed with nine points in 10 minutes. 

After the half, the Dolphins continued to stay busy on the scoreboard after shooting 47 percent in the first 20 minutes. Battle, coming off a Duckett ball screen, nailed a contested midrange jumper 30 seconds into the quarter. She then made a pair of free throws and added another two points with an assist and score to Duckett. The count stood at 34-28 with six minutes left to play. An intense exchange of baskets resulted in JU growing a 10-point lead, but the Royals narrowed the gap to four, finishing the quarter at 38-35. 

Eventually, the Royals tied the game at 42-42 two minutes into the last period, going on a 10-0 run. Just as Queens attempted to take their first lead, Craig aggressively blocked a three-point attempt, temporarily rejecting their hopes. Despite Dolphin defensive efforts, the Royals claimed a four-point lead. Meanwhile, leading scorer Battle took an elbow to the jaw, sidelining her as 6:30 remained. Sana'a Garrett stepped up, driving down a congested lane and finished with an off-handed layup to bring JU within two. Jada Duckett then closed the deficit, knocking down two free-throws with 4:59 remaining. Two lead changes occurred within the next three minutes, and JU eventually took a one-point advantage with 2:30 left. Queens responded, regaining their own one-point lead until Craig, a 74-percent foul shooter, tied the game again at 52-52 with one minute remaining. Queens fouled Craig again, putting JU up one, 53-52, with 43.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. A crucial defensive play by Dunlap resulted in a turnover, giving JU possession. After one last free throw made by Dunlap, a game-saving steal by Craig left the Royals heartbroken. The last Dolphin win was on December 11, and the women secured their first road and conference victory tonight on January 11. 

COACH'S COMMENTS 

"We were able to come together and execute effectively down the stretch," said Coach Jennings. "I vocalize the importance of making free throws, but I am pleased with our overall performance. For the first time in a while, we managed to string together four full quarters. Despite a late surge from Queens, our team responded with a run of our own. I consistently emphasize to our women that basketball is a game of runs – they may have punched us, but we punched back. Securing our first conference win on the road feels good, yet we recognize the need to maintain this momentum and find a way to put a couple more together moving forward." 

UP NEXT 

Jacksonville will stay on the road to see Kennesaw State for their fourth conference matchup Saturday, January 13. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+. 

NOTEABLE NUMBERS 

• Edyn Battle finished with 19 points and two assists 

• Jada Jones ended the night with nine points and six rebounds 

• Saniyah Craig scored eight points and added 11 rebounds 

• Jada Duckett scored nine points 

• Dolphins scored 20 points in the paint and 17 points off Royal turnovers 

• Dolphins only trailed for six minutes in the game 

• JU shot 31 free throws