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3/4/2009 - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Dolphins Survive Scare from Lady Bisons
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Second-seeded Jacksonville weathered a challenge from a surprisingly feisty Lipscomb squad, and pulled away from the underdog Lady Bisons in the second half for a 63-51 opening-round victory in the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Conference Basketball Championship from Lipscomb’s Allen Arena on Wednesday night.
Jacksonville head coach Jill Dunn picked up her 100th career win on the same court last week as Jacksonville (18-12) beat Lipscomb by 29 points. This win marked the fourth consecutive win by Jacksonville against Lipscomb (6-24).
Junior forward Desarae Johnson scored 13 points to lead the Dolphins in scoring, also grabbing seven rebounds. Senior guard DaVina Hamilton added 12 points and matched her compatriot with seven boards.
The Dolphins sprinted out to a 14-2 first-half lead and looked as if they would easily repeat last week’s 71-42 drubbing of the Lady Bisons, but guards Jenna Bartsokas and Anna Bowers combined for four first-half 3-pointers to ignite a Lipscomb rally that cut the Jacksonville advantage to 32-29 at the half.
Lipscomb scored the first two field goals of the second-half as well to take its first lead of the game, but the Dolphins answered with a 10-0 run and was never threatened again.The Jacksonville defense locked down the Lady Bisons attack throughout the second-half, holding Lipscomb scoreless for spans of seven minutes and four minutes.
The Dolphins advance to the semifinals for the third consecutive season and will meet the winner of tomorrow’s Belmont/Campbell game at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday afternoon.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
