FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Jacksonville women's basketball team gave the first-seeded Florida Gulf Coast Eagles a run for their money in a 76-69 game that went the distance. 

Despite the Dolphins digging themselves into an early hole, trailing by as much as 24 points in the third quarter, the green and white fought back to come within four with two minutes remaining in the fourth. By the third quarter, three of the Eagles' starters were in foul trouble, putting the Dolphins in a position to spark a comeback. Edyn Battle went on an 11-6 run herself in the fourth to bring the Dolphins within four with 2:26 to play. Unfortunately, the remainder of the game saw Saniyah Craig, Sana'a Garrett, and Battle all foul out, resulting in the Eagles walking away with the win. 

Edyn Battle finished with an all-time high tonight, surpassing her previous career high of 31 points against Bellarmine. The Ohio native capped her tournament play with 33 points, shooting 13-22 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. Battle concluded her season averaging 20.4 points, locking in the 21st spot in scoring in the country. 

Emani Jefferson and Edyn Battle, who split the ASUN Newcomer of the Year award, faced off in the first quarter, with Jefferson scoring 10 points in the quarter, while Battle responded with 11, showcasing their skills and determination. 

At the opening tip-off, the Eagles managed to get off to a quick 10-4 start by 7:32. Moments later, Saniyah Craig added to the scoreboard with her second basket, narrowing the gap to 10-6 with 7:00 left. The Eagles then extended their lead to 17-7 over the next three minutes, capitalizing on free-throw opportunities. However, Head Coach Special Jennings called a timeout, leading to a strategic play that allowed the Dolphins to sink a deep three-pointer by Edyn Battle, her first points of the game, making the score 17-10 with 4:44 remaining. The Dolphins adjusted their game plan, but the Eagles quickly responded with five more points Battle then walked back down into a double crossover midrange bringing the score to 25-12 in favor of the home team. The Dolphins' defense tightened, forcing two consecutive stops and converting an and-one layup, closing the gap to 25-15 with 2:13 left in the quarter. The first quarter ended with both teams scoring a few more baskets, with the Eagles leading 28-17. 

In the second quarter, the action intensified with both teams trading three-pointers. The Eagles maintained their lead, but the Dolphins stayed in the game. First, an eagle three, then an immediate response by Jalisa Dunlap to gain her first points of the night, writing the score 31-20 in favor of the Eagles. More back-and-forth scoring rewrote the score to 35-22, still keeping the Dolphins down by 13 with 5:19 before the half. The Eagles went on extending their lead to 16 with another three-pointer, but shortly after, the Dolphin offensive end saw a huge combating three by Battle (her second of the night), proving the score to be 38-25 at 3:37. Just when FGCU thought they had a lengthy lead, Julene Royal came off the bench and kissed a deep corner three-pointer off the backboard, putting JU within 10 at 38-28 seconds later. The end of the half saw more scoring on both sides, finishing with the Eagles leading 45-33. 

The Eagles opened with an 8-0 run to put the Dolphins down 20 early in the third quarter. With the top seed continuing to showcase its prowess, Saniyah Craig decided to take matters into her own hands, scoring back-to-back aggressive layups in the lane, one assisted by Jalisa Dunlap, bringing the score to 57-37. After a media timeout, a crucial rebound by Craig led to Jalisa Dunlap sinking her second attempt behind the arc, making her 2-for-2 for the night. The Eagles then began to stretch their lead to as much as 23 points, but the Dolphins continued to execute and pulled the number-one seed back within 13 with 39.2 seconds left in the third quarter, thanks to an impressive step-back three-pointer by freshman Asiana Britt and a successful and-one by Jalisa Dunlap. The Dolphins managed to get yet another stop and shrink the Eagle lead to 11 before the fourth quarter, thanks to a gritty rebound and layup by freshman Sana' Garrett. 

The Dolphins, on a run, converted another bucket after the ball came into play, bringing them within nine at 63-54. The game continued with both teams scoring more points, but the Dolphins still remained within striking distance, trailing by nine with 7:47 left to play. With buckets from Britt, a free-throw from Craig, and a pull-up jumper from Jalisa Dunlap, the score read 66-57. The Eagles' offense managed to extend their advantage to 12 just a minute later. However, the lead was heroically wiped away as Edyn Battle began to take over with a flurry of buckets from all sides of the floor. The Newcomer of the Year surged, bringing the Dolphins from a 12-point deficit at 70-58 to just seven points behind at 72-65 in only two minutes. With 3:10 left, Battle found her way to the line again, splitting the free throws to bring the deficit within six. After a timeout called by Eagles Head Coach Karl Smesko, Edyn Battle emerged from the huddle, double-crossed her defender, and hit a side-step three-pointer, bringing the Dolphins within four with 36.0 seconds to play. In an unexpected turn of events, the junior fouled out after scoring 11 points in just six minutes of play in the final quarter. 

The remainder of the game saw the Eagles collect easy points at the line and walk away with a narrow win, escaping the near upset and improbable comeback by the Dolphins. 

COACH'S COMMENTS 

NOTABLE NUMBERS 

• Jalisa Dunlap finished with 13 points, three steals, five assists (a season high), and shot 100 percent from the free-throw line. The junior averaged 14.5 points in the tournament. 

• Saniyah Craig added nine points and seven rebounds.