The Jacksonville women's basketball team fell to the Stetson Hatters 68-63 Wednesday night in a fourth-quarter thriller. The game featured seven lead changes in the final four minutes of action.

The Dolphins (12-13, 6-7 ASUN) were led by senior guard Edyn Battle. She finished with a team-high 19 points. Battle did the bulk of her work at the free throw line, where she shot 9-10.

The first three quarters were a defensive war of attrition. Neither team allowed consistent clean looks at the rim as the scoring stayed subdued. The scores were low, but the teams played to a near stalemate from the opening whistle.

Jacksonville took a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes, but large leads would be hard to come by for either team throughout the night. The Hatters answered with a run of their own, but the Dolphins matched serve. Graduate student forward Makayla Edwards finished through traffic to give JU a 13-7 lead, but a late run put Stetson up 15-13 at the end of the first.

The next two quarters were played at an even draw. Freshman guard Comari Mitchell made an excellent defensive play, leaping and snatching a pass with both hands, before cruising down the court to tie the game at 33. Stetson answered with a bucked to close the period, and the hosts led 35-32 at the break.

Neither team could get it going in the third, with the teams playing to a 10-10 deadlock. Stetson took its two-point lead to the final quarter. After tying and retying the game countless times, the Dolphins finally took the lead with 1:22 to play, courtesy of a pair of Battle free throws. 

The Hatters promptly responded with a bucket of their own to retake the lead. On the ensuing JU possession, it was once again Battle who was ready for the moment. She drilled a mid-range bucket to put the Dolphins ahead.

Stetson scored on a pair of free throws with 11 seconds to play, and Jacksonville couldn't find a go ahead bucket in the final minutes. The Hatters added to their lead at the stripe to close out the game.

Game Notes

• Sophomore forward Saniyah Craig scored 12 points and 16 rebounds, recording her 11th double-double and her 8th game with 15-plus rebounds this season.
• Jacksonville shot 21-30 from the free throw line.
• The Dolphins dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 45-33.
• JU held an 19-3 edge on the offensive boards.

Head Coach Special Jennings
"We can't be a light switch team; we can't try to turn it off and back on, it always has to be on. We did some good things tonight, but ultimately we had too many errors."

Up Next
The Dolphins will host crosstown rivals North Florida for the first River City Rumble of the season. Tip-off at Swisher Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 PM on Saturday.