Stetson Wins ASUN Championship, Dances for the First Time
Another ticket has been punched to the NCAA tournament with the Stetson Hatters winning the ASUN championship game on Sunday against the Austin Peay Governors by a score of 94-91. The Hatters came into the tournament as the second-seeded team, while the Governors were fourth. While Austin Peay got off to a fast start, leading 11-3, Stetson was able to quickly come back, and the game was quietly back and forth for much of the first half. Austin Peay took a three-point lead into intermission and led by seven at various points in the second half, but again the Hatters clawed back and took control of the lead for good with just a minute remaining. Austin Peay’s Ja’Monta Black had an opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer but was unable to hit the deep shot.
For Stetson, it was all about the Jalen Blackmon show, as the junior guard poured in a career-high 43 points to will the Hatters to an NCAA tournament berth for the first time ever. Blackmon went 5-9 from the three-point line as well as 14-17 from the free-throw line in his 31 minutes of action. Of the seven players who received minutes for the Hatters, six scored seven or more points. The Governors’ senior forward Sai Witt paced the team with 28 points and 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes, as he along with the other starters all found themselves in foul trouble throughout this game. Guard Dezi Jones filled up the stat sheet with 17 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
Stetson finished the regular season 22-12 before ripping off three straight to claim the ASUN tournament championship. This will mark Stetson’s first bid to the NCAA tournament, where they will likely be a 16 seed who must play in the First Four to solidify their spot. It will be no easy task to win in the First Four matchup and then play a number one seed just a few days later, but Fairleigh Dickinson did the impossible just a year ago when they shocked number one seed Purdue in round one. If Jalen Blackmon continues his unconscious level of offensive output, the Hatters can go as far as he can guide them.
