ATLANTA, Ga. --- Jacksonville women's basketball earned the biggest win of the Special Jennings era as the 2025 season finally kicks into gear. As the clock turned to clutch time against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Dolphins showed their winning edge.

Graduate student Priscilla Williams led the charge, putting the Dolphins up front for the first time with a late triple in the third. From that point on, JU wouldn't trail the rest of the way. Jacksonville led by as many as seven, seeing out one of the biggest wins in school history.

The Dolphins (3-1) defeated the Yellow Jackets 67-65 Sunday afternoon, Jacksonville's first win over a Power Conference foe since defeating Minnesota in 2021. This is also the first Power Conference win under Jennings.

"We go in and we just try to prepare to win and give ourselves a chance to win every game, it doesn't matter who's in front of us," Jennings said. "We just try to play the right way: Share the basketball, be gritty, play hard, be tough."

Williams career night led the way for JU. She scored a career-high 29 points, adding 10 rebounds for her fourth-straight double-double. She shot 9-16 from the field with three triples.

"When she's locked in and she's focused, and she has that look in her eyes, man, it's her world," Jennings said. "I'm excited for her,  she's worked hard for this, so she deserves it."

Williams was the catalyst from the start for Jacksonville. She was the only JU player to reach double-figures in the first half, with her 10 points helping keep the Dolphins in striking distance. 

With the Yellow Jackets up eight late in the first quarter, Williams raced up the court and launched a three at the buzzer to cut the score to 17-12.

The Dolphins stayed in hot pursuit through the second quarter, Williams and senior Kali Howard adding a scoring punch to keep Jacksonville hot on Georgia Tech's tail. Jacksonville trailed 34-26 at the break, but the Dolphins were just waiting for their moment to strike. 

That moment was the third quarter. Following the halftime break, Jacksonville outscored the Yellow Jackets 25-15 in the third. It didn't always look like JU's breakout, though, as Georgia Tech took its largest lead of the night, 41-31, early in the period.

Freshman Tatum Brown answered with a jumper, and an 11-0 run later, Williams put the 'Phins in front 42-41. The game would be tied countless times from this point on, but the Dolphins would not trail for the final 13:58 of the game. 

After the Jackets tied the game at 47, Williams put JU back in front with a free throw. On the next JU possession, senior Makiya Miller buried a triple to put the Dolphins up two possessions heading into the final quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, Jacksonville played its best basketball of the season. The teams stayed within a possession most of the period, trading occasional buckets in a tense fourth stanza. With 2:35 left to play, the Dolphins seized their moment.

It started with Williams driving hard to the paint for a layup and a foul, cashing in the and-one to put JU up 63-60. Seconds later, junior Sharmela Reid took the ball from Georgia Tech and raced down the floor. After a foul, she made both free throws to extend JU's lead. 

After another defensive stop, junior Carmaya Bowman stood tall in the paint with a bucket to give Jacksonville a 67-60 lead with 90 ticks of the clock to go. From that point on, it was end game keep away, with JU securing the 69-64 win.

"They didn't get nervous, they didn't get scared," Jennings said. "It doesn't matter what they were gonna call, we just played the way we're supposed to play, and we got a couple stops."

Game Notes

• Jacksonville shot 6-16 from deep (38%), while Georgia Tech shot just 2-15 (13%).
• The Dolphins are the first ASUN team to take down a P4 opponent this season.
• This is JU's first win over an ACC opponent since defeating Wake Forest 72-66 in 2010.
• Sophomore Mychal White led the team in assists (5) and steals (4) in 24 minutes played.
• In addition to her career high, this is the first time Williams has recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in one game.

Up Next
The Dolphins will return to Swisher Gymnasium Saturday Nov. 22 to face the Florida International Panthers. Tip-off is slated for 2 PM. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.