The Jacksonville women's basketball team's season came to a close Friday night. The Dolphins fell to the Bellarmine Knights 80-79 in an overtime thriller in the first round of the ASUN Conference Tournament.

JU was led by senior guard Edyn Battle. She saved her best for the final game of the season, scoring a school-record 39 points. She scored 26 of her points in the fourth quarter and overtime, willing the Dolphins as far as possible in the final moments of the game.

Bellarmine started on the front foot, taking an early lead in the first quarter. Neither team pulled away early, but the Knights led by eight at the end of the first. The Dolphins immediately responded in the second quarter with a fury.

Jacksonville raced ahead with a 12-0 run in the second quarter to take its first lead of the game. Led by 12 points in the first half from senior guard Priscilla Williams, the Dolphins took a 31-27 lead into the locker room. Jacksonville outscored Bellarmine 21-9 in the second quarter.

Bellarmine answered back, however, and retook the lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Sophomore guard Sana'a Garrett scored first, slicing to the hoop for a quick layup to put the Dolphins back in front. The Knights answered, but then Battle started to take over. 

Battle drove hard to the hoop for another three-point play, putting Jacksonville back in front late. She scored a pair from the stripe to push the Dolphin lead to five. Bellarmine tied the game at 58 before sophomore forward Saniyah Craig buried an open triple to put JU in front.

As the Knights fought back, Battle kept having an answer. She scored a layup with 47 seconds left to take a four-point lead. However, Bellarmine hit a pair of late triples to tie the game at 71 to end regulation.

In overtime, the Knights took a four-point lead with under 90 seconds left, but Battle wouldn't let the game go quietly. She fought through traffic to poke the ball loose from a Bellarmine player, fighting down the court for a transition layup.

She scored another late layup and a pair of free throws in the final minute to give JU a 79-78 lead with seconds left to play. However, the Knights scored a quick basket and the Dolphins' final shot fell short as JU's season came to a close.

Game Notes

• Battle scored a school-record 39 points, shattering her own school-best 33 points set in last season's ASUN Tournament against Florida Gulf Coast.
• She's responsible for four of the six 30-point games in school history.
• Battle shot 13-24 from the field and 13-14 to lead the way for JU.
• Williams (12 PTS) and Garrett (14 PTS) also scored in double figures.

Head Coach Special Jennings
"The result didn't go our way tonight, but I'm proud of the fight we showed tonight. We're building something special here, and the future is bright for Jacksonville basketball."