CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. --- The Dolphins called timeout. After an Austin Peay layup with under three seconds to play, it looked like overtime was inevitable. Junior Carmaya Bowman had other plans.

Off a nice pick, she got the ball open at the top of the key and fired off a shot. Swish as the horn goes off. Thanks to Bowman's heroic final shot and a 9-2 run in the final four minutes of the game, the Jacksonville Dolphins took down the Austin Peay Governors 70-68 Saturday afternoon. JU won both of its road tests this weekend and returns to Jacksonville fourth in the ASUN standings.

The Dolphins (14-7, 6-4 ASUN) were led by Bowman's Division 1 career-high 20 points. Jacksonville's dynamic freshman duo of Aniah Smith and Tatum Brown each finished with 16 points.

Smith came out scorching hot, scoring three of the game's first four buckets as the Dolphins took an early 11-4 lead. It looked like Austin Peay would take the lead into the second quarter, but Brown nailed a 3-pointer then trickled in a jumper at the quarter buzzer to put JU up 24-22.

The Governors jumped in front with eight-straight points, before sophomore Comari Mitchell stopped the run off an assist from Smith. Bowman pulled the Dolphins back within one, grabbing the offensive board off a missed free-throw, then cashing in two foul shots of her own. 

Austin Peay splashed home two late triples down the stretch, though, and the hosts took a 43-38 lead into halftime.

The trio of Bowman, Brown and Smith kept on a roll early in the third quarter, each getting back on the score sheet and cutting the deficit to one. The Governors led by as many as eight, before the Dolphins scored three late baskets, culminating in a short jumper from Bowman with five seconds left in the quarter.

The Dolphins trailed by five early in the fourth, but they finally re-took the lead with 8:11 to play. Brown drilled a triple, then grabbed a defensive rebound, pushed in transition and dished it off to her rookie running mate Smith for another 3-pointer. 

After junior Bailey Burns buried another Jacksonville trey, Austin Peay answered with a long ball of its own to re-take the lead, 62-61. Two more Governors buckets put them up with just over four minutes left in the game.

Bowman started the closing run with a layup, then the Dolphins defense got after it. Brown stole the ball then took it all the way for a layup. Jacksonville stole the ball again on the next possession, and Brown tied the game at 66 from the free-throw line.

It looked like Jacksonville was going to pull off the comeback earlier, when Smith drove to the paint and drew a foul with 13 seconds to play. The freshman from Avon, Indiana, hit both of her free-throws to seemingly give the game to JU.

That wasn't to be, though, as the Governors scored a layup with just seconds left to play in the game. Staring down overtime, senior Makiya Miller inbounded the ball to Bowman just inside the arc. The Hempstead, Maryland, native hoisted up a jumper, touching twine and sending Jacksonville home with a win.

Game Notes

• Brown and Smith have scored 15-plus points in three-straight games.
• Bowman is the fifth different JU player to score 20 points in a game this season.
• Brown finished with four steals, her seventh game with at least three steals.
• Smith's five assists marked a new career high, and she's recorded at least three steals in three of her last four games.
• The Dolphins had 16 steals, tying a season high and the fifth game with at least 15 steals.

Coach's Comments
"It sounds like a broken record, but I'm proud of this team's resilience," head coach Special Jennings said. "To be able to get a tough win on the road while your leader is having a tough night says a lot about our depth and how deep we can go into our bench. Carmaya was amazing tonight on both ends, which is why I drew the last play for her to get the game winner out of the timeout. She was ready for the moment. This was a team victory and I'm proud of these ladies Oh and PS, those freshmen!"

Up Next
The Dolphins make their long-awaited return to Swisher Gymnasium next Thursday, Feb. 5 against the West Georgia Wolves for National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 PM.