MEN'S BASKETBALL: Stetson steamrolls Johnson University 125-51 in home opener
DELAND — After shaking off a frosty start, Stetson caught fire, using a 34-7 extended, first-half run to cruise to a 125-51 win over Division II Johnson University at the Edmunds Center on Tuesday night.
It was the first home game of the season for the Hatters (4-2) and Tuesday's contest was a make-up game with the originally scheduled meeting between the teams on Nov. 10 being postponed due to Hurricane Nicole.
The win snapped a two-game skid for Stetson after the team started 3-0 including wins over Florida State and South Florida. The Hatters started 1 for 8 from the floor but with the score 10-8 in favor of Stetson, turned that around, hitting 21 of 30 shots the rest of the first half to take a 53-26 advantage into halftime.
It would get even more lopsided from there with Stetson outscoring Johnson 72-25 in the second half.
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"Excited about our team tonight, the most important thing, obviously got a great win and it's always good when all of your team gets a chance to play," Stetson coach Donnie Jones said. "I loved how we played the game, regardless of the score. I think we were really trying to get better today and playing unselfishly."
The Hatters rolled up massive advantages in several different statistical categories including points in the paint (74-8), points off of turnovers (35-4) second-chance points (18-5) and fast-break points (34-9) all while enjoying a 38-19 edge on the boards and shooting 59.1% (52 for 88) from the floor.
Eight Hatters reached double figures in scoring led by junior Josh Smith with 17 points. Jalen Blackmon and Cyncier Harrison were next with 15 points apiece with Harrison adding 10 assists in recording a double-double. GianCarlo Valdez poured in 14 points, Alec Oglesby recorded 12, Aubin Gateretse recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Alvin Tumblin and Mahamadou Diawara each posted 10 points.
Stetson will hit the road for Gainesville on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Florida.
Reach Ryan Pritt at rpritt@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @RPritt.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Stetson pounds Johnson University 125-51 in men's basketball home opener
