JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Dolphins are back in the win column in one of the most emphatic ways possible.
Saturday afternoon inside Swisher Gymnasium, the Dolphins defeated rival UNF 63-56 to snap a four-game losing streak and a two-game losing streak to their cross-town rivals.
The win improved Jacksonville to 10-17 and 5-9. Saturday's victory also moved JU ahead of UNF in the conference standings.
River City Rumble volume one's final score was the lowest scoring Rumble since a 62-50 final in February of 2024. At half the score was just 32-26 in favor of the 'Phins with both teams basically doubling their first half scores in the second.
Jacksonville was led by a scoring outburst from
Jason Thirdkill Jr. who notched a game-high 19 points on 6-10 shooting while also adding a tied for game-high nine rebounds. Thirdkill was joined by freshman guard
Evan Sterck, who came off the bench for the second straight game, scoring 17 points on 6-10 shooting with three of those makes from range.
Thirdkill played every single second of his very first Rumble, marking a new career high for the forward.
Led by the defensive presence of Thirdkill, Jacksonville was able to hold both of UNF's top-two scorers under their season averages. Kamrin Oriol entered the game scoring 20.5 points per game but ended with 16.
Kent Jackson averages 15.4 PPG but finished right at 15.
The 'Phins also saw their way back into the win column by committing their fewest fouls thus far in conference play (11) which also was the lowest foul count for JU in 19 total games. Jacksonville also connected on eight 3-pointers, its most in its last eight games and equaling its total amount from the past two games combined.
Thirdkill and
Jaylen Jones helped JU out to a 5-0 lead to start the contest. JU got that lead up to 13-5 with under 16 to play. UNF managed to tie the game at 18 but never took the lead over the duration of the first half.
The first lead all game for the visitors from crosstown came with 7:22 to play, overcoming what once was a nine-point JU lead. That lead lasted for about a minute and 30 seconds before a Sterck triple and good free throws by
Donovan Rivers gave the green and gold back the advantage. Jacksonville held its lead for the duration of the game.
In the Rumble's waning minutes, Rivers hit
Chris Lockett Jr. for a pass through the Osprey defense that resulted in a layup and a 56-53 lead. Lockett came up with a steal on the other end, with Thirdkill later finding the ball in his hands out beyond the arc with four seconds on the clock. The big man nailed the three, igniting the crowd and giving JU a 59-53 lead.
With 14 seconds to go,
Hayden Wood smacked a UNF layup off the glass to end the contest and even the all-time River City Rumble series at 23 wins for each program.
In total, Jacksonville actually lost the battle of the boards to UNF 28-25.
Jaylen Jones add five rebounds himself, good for second on the Dolphins.
JU turned the ball over only eight times, its fewest turnovers in five games which was the last time the team had won a game.
Wood added two blocks, half of the team's four. Sterck, Lockett and Jones all stole two balls each, part of a seven-steal night for the home team.
The 'Phins will look to parlay their big time win into their final four games of the season, starting with a road tilt at FGCU on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Jacksonville plays its final two home games in a row starting Saturday, Feb. 21 against Austin Peay and Thursday, Feb 26 against Stetson for senior night.
Jacksonville's final contest of the regular season comes on the road at UNF on Saturday, Feb. 28 in a building where JU has not won since the 2021-22 season.
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