JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville women's basketball team (4-11, 0-2) fought hard but ultimately finished with a loss against Stetson (7-9, 2-0). The final score of 59-53 didn't reflect the solid defending JU displayed for 40 minutes and the high-scoring efforts by Isamery Telleria, Saniyah Craig, and the 15-point eruption by Edyn Battle in the second half. 

 Jacksonville outscored Stetson 23-to-15 in the final quarter of the game, but time ultimately ran out before a remarkable comeback night for the Dolphins. JU was down as much as 18 points and came within five before the final horn. 

 Off the tip, the Dolphins started with high energy on defense, forcing a Hatter turnover that turned into a paint touch and bucket by freshman Craig and a long right corner three from Jalisa Dunlap to give JU an early 5-2 lead with 8:19 remaining. After a Stetson answer, redshirt senior Jada Duckett kept the pressure on The Hatters as she drew a foul and sank two free throws for a 7-4 lead in Dolphin advantage. Stetson began to handle Dolphins' high-intensity defense and took a 10-7 lead by the halfway point in the quarter. Devastatingly, as the Dolphins' leading scorer Edyn Battle attempted to take control of the offense, she went down after banging knees with a Hatter guard. That wasn't the last of Edyn Battle the Hatters would see. Dolphins continued to fight as they saw the free-throw line again, making both to shrink the lead Hatters had built to 14-9 with 3:30 remaining. The Hatters kept on rolling, building back up a 20-9 lead by the first horn. 

 A 6-4 run beginning the second gave Dolphins all the momentum to rewrite the score 15-24 with 4:46 remaining thanks to a couple of JU steals and a clever charge taken by freshman Craig to lead the way back to controlling the night. The Dolphin defense continued to stand strong as they made stop after stop and steal after steal to hold Stetson to four points eight minutes into the second. Telleria went on to hit a huge three in the final seconds of the quarter, though Stetson converted seven more to finish the half 30-19 for a Stetson lead. 

 After the half, Dolphins immediately forced two more turnovers in the first two minutes that led to JU earning the opening score of the second half to rewrite the night 30-20 Stetson lead. The game continued to be a grudge match between the two universities, points being hard to come by. Within the next six minutes, JU managed to score eight more points against the Hatters' 14 to finish the quarter 44-30. 

 Telleria opened the fourth quarter with another huge three that was heavily contested to put JU back down 10, 44-33. Feeding off the positive play, Edyn Battle scored her 10th point on the night on a strong and-1. That play really ignited Battle; in the next two minutes, she went to score the next five for JU to leave the clock at 6:02 and a 49-40 score. More solid defense kept Stetson to two points the next three minutes. Just when the scoreboard read 51-42 for Hatters, Craig showcased a solid drive and spin to put JU down seven, 44-51, the closest deficit the Dolphins had since the first quarter. With the consistent help of Battle and a hot Telleria, JU proceeded to climb within five after Telleria nailed another three, making it her third three-point conversion. 44 seconds remained with momentum on Dolphins side; despite the Dolphin efforts, time ran out until the final horn, and the Hatters managed to steal in Swisher Gymnasium. 

UP NEXT 

The Dolphins will hit the road to travel north to Charolette and take on Queens. The game is set for Thursday, January 11 and will begin at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+. 

NOTEABLE NUMBERS 

• Saniyah Craig scored 10 points and added six rebounds 

• Edyn Battle scored 17 points on the night, making it her 14 double digit scoring game 

• Isamery Telleria scored 13 points, one away from her season high 

• All three leading scorers (Battle, Craig, Telleria) went 100-percent from the Free-throw line 

• Jada Duckett finished with five rebounds 

• Dolphins forced 25 Hatter turnovers 

• JU finished with 12 steals