Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thursday night was an excellent send off for the Jacksonville Dolphins in their final game within Swisher Gymnasium, defeating Stetson 89-85 on Senior Night.

Senior Jason Thirdkill Jr. notched a double-double, scoring 12 and pulling down 11 boards. It was Thirdkill's second double-double, all within ASUN play.

Despite the night being for the team's eldest, it was freshman Hayden Wood who led the team in scoring once again. Wood scored a team-high 25 points, hitting all 12 of his attempts at the free throw line. While tying his career high in scoring Wood also posted his sixth 20-plus point game and third in a row. 

The win moved JU to 11-19 on the year and 6-11 overall in ASUN play, with just one game to go: the River City Rumble Second Edition on Saturday at UNF. The win also served as head coach Jordan Mincy's 80th while at the helm of Dolphin basketball. He sits in seventh all-time in wins, just eight shy of tying Bob Wenzel's 88 set back from 1981-87. 

Jacksonville's win snapped a two-game losing streak with the team's last victory coming over rival UNF. The win also split the season series with Stetson.

Wood scored the game's opening bucket and led his team at the halftime break with 11, leading the Dolphins to a 42-34 halftime advantage.

JU trailed just once, down 6-4, in the first half. The 'Phins mounted multiple 7-plus point leads in the game's opening frame. In the second half, the tune was much the same.

In the second half's opening minutes, Jacksonville jumped out to two different 10-point leads, later extending its advantage to 15 points with under 14 to play.

The game got as high as 17 points in favor of the home team but the game never got within more than four points.

Jacksonville won the battle of the boards handily, securing 37 to Stetson's 24. Jaylen Jones was second on the team in rebounds with eight to go along with his nine points. Jones now has five straight games with five or more boards, with three of those games over eight rebounds. 

Down low, big man Donovan Rivers snagged five rebounds to add to his 16-point night. Chris Lockett Jr. added nine points and four rebounds himself.

Senior Jaylen Jordon came off the bench and played 14 minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing three boards. He added a trio of heavy slam dunks on the Stetson defense in front of a contingency of family members from nearby Hilliard, Fla. 

The Dolphins amassed 22 fouls on the night but pulled out the victory for just the fifth time all season when fouling 20 times or more. Three of those wins have now come in conference play.

Jacksonville took care of the ball well finishing the game with just six turnovers. It was the team's fifth straight game under 10 turnovers and lowest overall turnover total since Jan. 15. It was the second lowest turnover game in all of conference play for the Dolphins.

Defensively, JU did a solid job limiting the scoring attack from the Hatters' top scorers. Ethan Copeland finished with 11 points, his fewest in seven games and below his season scoring average of 14. 

The final game of the regular season is as big as it gets for Jacksonville, with a rivalry matchup across town to send the team off before tournament play. If Jacksonville wins and sweeps the Ospreys, it will be the first season sweep of UNF since the 2021-22 season.

Tipoff at UNF is set for Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. First round of the ASUN Tournament will happen on campus sites, hosted either at UNF or JU, starting March 4. 

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