JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Freshman Chris Arias hit a dagger 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put Jacksonville ahead 69-62, helping the Dolphins secure a 71-62 win over the South Carolina State Bulldogs at home Thursday.
The Dolphins (2-2) had a pair of players score in double figures, led by Arias who had a game-high 19 points. Zach Bell tacked on 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals behind a 4-6 performance from deep. Robert McCray V added nine points, six rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks of his own.
The Jacksonville offense made it rain from beyond the arc, connecting on 12 threes on 22 attempts. Arias hit a game-high five treys in his coming out party at home.
"Chris is unreal," head coach Jordan Mincy said. "We expect so much from him. We had the opportunity to recruit him for two years. He has a great family and they put a lot of time and effort into developing him as a player and a man. He had some success in our earlier scrimmages but that hadn't carried over yet. But we knew he would make his shots. Our whole thing with him was to keep shooting."
The Jacksonville defense caused its share of mistakes in Thursday's game, forcing 15 South Carolina State turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the other end. Simon Wheeler led the way individually for the Dolphins with three steals. Wheeler however left Thursday's contest with a lower body injury.
How It Happened
After falling behind 5-2, Jacksonville went on a 10-0 run culminating in a bucket from Wheeler to take a 12-5 lead. The Dolphins then surrendered the lead down the stretch and entered halftime down 32-27, after leading 27-19 late in the first period.
South Carolina State kept widening its lead after intermission and built up a 37-30 advantage. Things went back and forth for most of the final period with the Dolphins retaking the lead and holding onto a one-point margin going into the final two minutes of play.
Donovan Rivers threw down a two-handed jam with one minute to play before Arias hit a dagger corner three to ice the game and put the home team up 69-62.
"(Chris) has an unbelievable ability to help us in so many ways," Mincy said of the freshman who also grabbed four rebounds. "I am just so proud of him and the effort he gave."
When the hometown kid from Jacksonville let his corner shot fly, it wasn't until the crowd pop that Arias knew his ball went in.
"I don't really remember it," Arias said. "But I knew it felt good and that crowd went absolutely crazy."
Following the triple, McCray grabbed his second straight defensive rebound and got the ball ahead to Zimi Nwokeji for a two-handed dunk. Rivers closed the game with the ball in his hands following his sixth rebound of the night. Rivers had a solid night off the bench, collecting a career-high four blocks.
Prior to the night, Arias was 0-10 on three-point attempts. After the game, it was all smiles for the guard who finally found his shot.
"This felt great," Arias said. "I just had to stay level headed. This was a great game for us. We needed this. We need to build on this and keep going harder for every team we face."
Game Notes
» The Dolphins held the Bulldogs to only 37.9 percent shooting from the field.
» The Dolphins shared the ball well, recording an assist on 77% of made field goals.
» Jacksonville held South Carolina State to 20% from three point land on 15 attempts.
» The Jacksonville bench came alive by scoring 33 points, led by Arias.
» Jacksonville had a 41-30 edge on the boards in the win. The Dolphins have yet to lose a rebounding battle this season.
» The Jacksonville defense forced 15 turnovers.
» The Dolphins recorded eight blocks, a season-high.
Next Up
The Dolphins will hit the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20 for a matchup against Virginia Tech. The contest between the Hokies and the Dolphins will tipoff at 7 p.m. EST and be aired on ESPN+ and ACC Network+.
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