Jacksonville, Fla. – The Jacksonville men's basketball team fell to the Stetson Hatters 86-73 on Wednesday night. Both Gyasi Powell and Robert McCray V finished in double figures for JU (14-15, 5-10), but the visiting Hatters shot 48.1% from deep and 55.8% overall to take down the Dolphins.

Stetson, who entered the night with the third most efficient offense in the Atlantic Sun Conference, hit seven of its first eight tries of the game, four of which were from three-point land, to take an early 20-13 advantage. The Jacksonville defense then put the clamps on and caused the Hatters to miss seven of their next 10 tries, and the Dolphins got within five, 26-21, behind Gyasi Powell's 11-point first half.

The Hatters, however, would end the final five minutes of the half on a 13-5 run, which pushed Stetson ahead by 13 at 43-30. Powell's 11 points in the first half were a JU high, but the ASUN's leading scorer Jalen Blackmon, Stephon Swenson, and Alec Oglesby combined for 33 points for Stetson.

The second half started in similar fashion to how the first half ended, with Blackmon leading the way for the Stetson offense. The Hatters jumped ahead by a game high 20 points in the first nine minutes with a 20-13 run fueled by Blackmon's 12 points in that span. The Dolphins would get to within numerous times in the final few minutes of play, but the Stetson offense knocked down shots throughout the night, and the Hatters went on to win their 11th ASUN game of the season.

For JU, Powell dropped 18 points and McCray recorded 16. Stephon Payne III had a team-high seven rebounds, and McCray dished out an additional five assists. 

Jalen Blackmon finished with a career-high 36 points for Stetson.

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The Dolphins return to action for their series finale on Friday, March 1. The game is the Dolphins' senior night, and tipoff is slated for 7 pm, and the game can be streamed on ESPN+ or heard on the radio on 1010XL.