DAYTONA BEACH — Go down the list.
Shooting percentage, 3-pointers, assists, turnovers — the stats for Bethune-Cookman and Jacksonville looked pretty much the same in their Geico Sunshine Slam game.
But the Dolphins pulled out a 69-64 win Monday, Nov. 24, at the Ocean Center.
“I just think we made some big plays down the stretch,” Jacksonville head coach Jordan Mincy said. “Obviously, they were making big plays, and we were going back and forth. A lot of times, the ball just rolls your way.”
Bethune-Cookman jumped out to a 6-0 advantage and led for nearly the entire first half, save for the first few seconds and the last minute and a half when the score was tied.
But after senior forward Allen Udemadu converted a pair of free throws to give the Dolphins their first lead with just under 16 minutes left, the rest of the second half was tight.
Jacksonville jumped ahead for good on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Chris Lockett Jr. with 1:45 remaining. That sparked a 7-0 run that sealed the outcome.
“It’s when the mistakes happen down the last five minutes,” B-CU head coach Reggie Theus said. “That’s where the difference becomes. Guys have to be able to make plays down the stretch.”
Here are three takeaways.
How close were B-CU vs. Jacksonville numbers?
The Dolphins shot 47% from the field, 29% from 3-point land and 56% from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats followed with 44% from the field, 22% on threes and 50% from the free-throw line.
Each squad amassed six steals, two blocks and nine turnovers. Bethune-Cookman dished out 14 assists while Jacksonville tallied 12. The Dolphins captured the rebounding war 38-32, but crucially, eight of their 10 offensive boards came in the second half.
Their largest lead was seven points in the final minute. The Wildcats’ widest cushion was nine in the middle of the first half.
“For us, we feel like (this event) gave us a look into the ASUN Tournament,” Mincy said. “Our guys got an opportunity to kind of see how it’s going to be. Those games are do-or-die. Understanding you can lose and just paying attention to every possession was big for us today.”
Jacksonville finds offense during Chris Arias’ scoreless outing
Bethune-Cookman shut down Jacksonville sophomore guard Chris Arias. He arrived in Daytona Beach averaging a team-high 13 points per game, but the Wildcats kept him out of the basket on seven attempts.
“Our gameplan was good,” Theus said.
The Dolphins found other sources of offense, though.
Freshman guard Hayden Wood accounted for 15 points. He went 2 of 2 from behind the arc and posted nine points in the second half. Junior forward Donovan Rivers (13 points) and junior guard Jaylen Jones (10 points) joined him in double figures.
“We always talk about ‘win by committee,’” Mincy said. “That’s our whole thing. We don’t want our identity to be based on one person. Being able to kind of understand how Chris Arias wasn’t necessarily on tonight shows our team can still find a way to win. We’ll use this game as an example throughout the course of the season.”
Jakobi Heady, Daniel Rouzan lead Bethune-Cookman
Senior Jakobi Heady put up a game-best 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting. He hit two of the Wildcats’ four 3-pointers, though following two makes in the first two minutes, they netted only two the rest of the way, including a Heady heave in the final 20 seconds.
He paces the Wildcats with 16.8 points per contest this season.
Senior forward Daniel Rouzan was their second-leading scorer against Jacksonville, contributing 12 points. He drilled five of his eight shots, corralled six rebounds and passed for three assists.
But Bethune-Cookman played without Rouzan during the most important period. He exited with an injury with 5:19 to go and did not return. Theus said he does not expect it to be anything serious.
When Rouzan sat down, the Wildcats trailed 57-54.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 3 takeaways from Bethune-Cookman’s loss to Jacksonville in Sunshine Slam
Reporting by Chris Vinel, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
