FLORENCE, Ala. - The Jacksonville women's basketball team (6-15, 2-6) mounted an explosive third-quarter comeback, erasing a 21-point deficit. However, it wasn't enough to defeat the North Alabama Lions (10-12, 6-3) on Saturday night in Flowers Hall, with a final score of 77-67.
After a 46-point second half and a combined 34 points from Edyn Battle and Saniyah Craig, the Dolphins came up short late in the fourth quarter. The Lions initiated an early run, securing their first 5-0 lead of the night three minutes into play. Freshman Saniyah Craig displayed her prowess in the paint for the Dolphin offense, providing a four-point relief to narrow the green and white's disadvantage to 9-4. Buckets became hard to come by for the away team until freshman Sana'a Garrett broke the deadlock, making it 15-6 with 5:28 to go in the period. JU went on to give North Alabama six more points, credited to Kyshonna Brown and Julene Royale, before the conclusion of the first quarter, resulting in a 23-12 lead in favor of the Lions.
After a tough second quarter, the Dolphins opened the second half with an intentional run to cut the deficit, trailing by 16 with 5:44 remaining. Edyn Battle, Zaria Blake, and Jada Duckett doing work on the offensive end. As play continued, JU brought the night back within 11 of the Lion lead with a series of free throws and well-executed buckets by Craig (a 70-percent free-throw shooter). The Dolphins dominated the paint, scoring 14 points inside during the quarter, leading to a 21-point scoring period and positioning them for a potential comeback. Craig went on to score six points in the quarter, while Battle added five to complete a strong 10 minutes for the green and white.
Momentum was the name of the game in the second half, with the Dolphins turning the tide from being down by as much as 21 at the end of the second quarter to a five-point deficit with 4:47 to go in the fourth (63-to-58). The Dolphins continued to push back against the Lion's early high-caliber three-point shooting. Craig and Battle combined for 14 points in the fourth, with a crucial three-pointer from Garrett and Jalisa Dunlap delivering a late six points in an attempt to reignite hope. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the feat, and the Dolphins ran out of time before completing what could have been an outstanding comeback.
UP NEXT
Dolphins return home to host a (12-10,5-4) Lipscomb Wednesday Feburary 7. The game is set to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
NOTEABLE NUMBERS
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Edyn Battle took over the first-place spot in the Atlantic Sun scoring rank. Battle finished the night with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists
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Saniyah Craig added 15 points and seven rebounds
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The Dolphin bench scored 18 points
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JU as a team recorded eight steals five blocks and 38 points in the paint
