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Providence graduate Chris Arias hits game-winning 3-pointer for JU Dolphins over VMI
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- Providence graduate Chris Arias hits game-winning 3-pointer for JU Dolphins over VMI
Chris Arias said the shot "felt great" leaving his hands.
His body just looked uncomfortable.
Arias, Jacksonville University's sophomore guard and a Providence graduate, hit an off-balance 3-pointer with two seconds left on Nov. 15 in Lexington, Va., to give the Dolphins a 69-67 victory over VMI, at Cameron Hall.
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The Dolphins (2-2) led 66-57 with 3:43 left but wilted under a late Keydets run of 12-1. TJ Johnson (18 points) scored with 16 seconds left to give VMI a 67-66 lead.
Jacksonville University guard Chris Lockett dribbles past Rob Martin of High Point during their game on Nov. 11 at High Point.
Arias took a pass and sliced between defenders Linus Holstrom and Marion Tatum Jr. He was off-balance when he let the shot go but it went through the net cleanly, his eighth 3-pointer in 12 attempts, for a career-high 24 points.
"The last time I made a game-winner was when I was maybe 12," Arias told a school communications official in comments posted on the athletic website. "It was great seeing the crowd silenced after that."
Arias also added six rebounds. His points, 3-pointers and rebounds were all college career highs.
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Jaylen Jones added 17 points and Donovan Rivers nine points and eight rebounds.
The victory eased the sting of an 85-64 loss at High Point four days earlier. Arias was the only JU player in double figures with 13. Rivers, Evan Sterck and Chris Lockett had nine points each.
UNF coach Bobby Kennen gets first victory
It was a bit of a struggle for most of the first half, but the North Florida Ospreys finally put NAIA New College away with a 122-67 victory in the home opener on Nov. 15 at UNF Arena.
It was coach Bobby Kennen's first victory after losses to Florida and Tennessee .
Kamrin Oriol of the University of North Florida set his career high in scoring on Nov. 15 against New College with 30 points, which helped coach Bobby Kennen (background, right) get his first career victory.
New led 34-33 with 5:46 left in the first half but senior guard Kamrin Oriol (a career-high 30 points, nine rebounds, four steals, four assists) triggered a 16-4 run to end the first half. He then scored six points as UNF started the second half on a 14-0 run.
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"They [New College] played great early," Kennen said. "It was not a reflection of us not playing well."
Kennen said the Ospreys (1-2) will need Oriol to play at that level as much as possible this season.
"His growth as a leader on this team is what's going to drive us forward," he said.
UNF got its offense untracked with defense. The Ospreys had 12 steals and New turned the ball over 25 times (UNF had only six turnovers). North Florida outscored New 36-4 off turnovers.
BJ. Plummer added 14 points, Episcopal graduate Kent Jackson 13, and Providence graduate Mason Lee and Trey Cody 12 each. Center Nestor Dyachok had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.
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Jackson led the Ospreys with 16 points and five assists in a 99-66 loss at Tennessee on Nov. 12. Oriol and graduate senior guard Devin Hines had 11 points each.
Edward Waters (1-1):The Tigers got a split in the South Regional Tipoff Classic at Valdosta State , losing to the host Blazers 85-70 in the first game on Nov. 14 and bouncing back to beat Florida Tech 78-58 on Nov. 15. Junior forward Keyshawn Evans and senior forward Cyrus Noel-Huggard scored 17 points each against Florida Tech and Sophomore guard Jaelen Nelson added 14. Evans also had 10 rebounds.
Evans had a monster night in a losing cause against Valdosta, with 24 points, 17 rebounds, four steals and four assists. Junior forward Amari Floyd had 20 points and eight rebounds.
Flagler (1-1):Graduate senior guard Tarig Daughton hit a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left to send the Saints' game vs. Emory & Henry into overtime. But Flagler lost a four-point lead in the extra period and lost 78-72 on Nov. 15 in the second game of the Southeastern Region Crossover at the Smith University Center in Florence, S.C. Jackson Crawford was fouled while making a 3-pointer for Emory & Henry to break a 70-70 tie with seven seconds left, and he made the free throw for a four-point play. Graduate senior guard Rahdir Hicks led five Flagler players in double figures with 16 points.
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The Saints beat Francis Marion 82-70 the day before, with junior guard Camden Andrews scoring 28 points and Daughton 14 off the bench.
Trinity Baptist (3-2):The Eagles won both games last week, with senior guard Diego Fernandez leading the way. He had 34 points and six rebounds in a 94-90 victory over Baptist University of Florida, and 26 points, five rebounds and four steals in an 84-81 victory over Florida Gateway College. Sophomore guard Tayden Owens added 15 points against Baptist and junior guard Maximus Fuentes had 17 points vs. Florida Gateway.
This week's games
Nov. 18:Trinity Baptist at Flagler, 7 p.m.; Jacksonville at George Mason, 7 p.m.
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Nov. 19:North Florida at Wofford , 7 p.m.
Nov. 20:Embry-Riddle at Flagler, 7 p.m.; Fort Lauderdale at Trinity Baptist, 8 p.m.; Edward Waters at Lane College (Tenn.), 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 22:North Florida vs. Southern Miss , Pensacola Invitational, 8 p.m.; Edward Waters at LeMoyne-Owen College (Tenn.), 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 23:North Florida vs. Tennessee-Martin or Prairie View, Pensacola Invitational, 8 p.m.
Women: North Florida goes 0-2 on Gulf Coast trip
There are still some growing pains for the Ospreys as they lost 77-54 to Tulane on Nov. 12 and 83-46 to South Alabama on Nov. 14.
Sophomore guard Jamisyn Stinson led UNF (1-3) with 15 points against Tulane and sophomore guard Alexa Washington added 11. The Opspreys led 20-16 after the first period but were outscored 41-22 in the next two quarters.
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Freshman forward Dezuray McGill came off the bench to lead UNF with 16 points against South Alabama.
Perimeter shooting remains an issue for the Ospreys. They made only 8 of 51 3-point attempts (15.6 percent) in the two losses.
Jacksonville (2-1):The Dolphins were outscored 28-6 in the first quarter, and the Florida Gators went on to win 100-55 on Nov. 10 in Gainesville.
The bright spot for JU was senior guard Priscilla Williams , who had her third consecutive double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Going back to last season, Williams has 10 double-figure scoring games in a row, and five double-doubles in eight games.
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Flagler (1-1):The Saints split games in the Southeastern Region Crossover Tournament at Flagler Gym, beating Anderson (S.C.) 72-66 and losing to Shorter College (Ga.) 93-88. The Saints got five players in double figures in the victory, led by senior forward Marley Smith with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Bre Jones had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench.
In the loss to Shorter, the Saints made a desperate comeback attempt from a 69-50 deficit entering the fourth quarter, outscoring Shorter 38-24. Junior guard Aspen Weeks led Flagler with 22 points, sophomore forward Gabby Bush had 19 off the bench and Smith had 16. Smith scored 11 points in the final period, nine on three 3-pointers, and Bush and Weeks scored 10 each.
Edward Waters (0-1):The Tigers led 47-45 entering the fourth quarter but Florida Tech rallied to win 70-65 in EWU's opening game on Nov. 14 at the Adams-Jenkins Complex. But Jackson High graduate Xaniya Jackson, a 6-foot-2 junior center, led the Tigers with 15 points off the bench on 6 of 9 shooting. Junior guard Tan Brown had 14 points and senior forward Shcira Fowles had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Trinity Baptist (2-3):The Eagles bounced back from a 108-42 loss at South Carolina State on Nov. 11 to beat Wesleyan College (Ga.) 80-57 on Nov. 14, with four players getting in double-figure scoring. Senior guard Emma Parrish of Newberry led with 19 points, sophomore guard M'lani Vitela had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench and senior forward Caroline Smith of Lake Butler had 12 points. Freshman guard Alexandra Perez turned the game around by scoring all 10 of her points in the third quarter when the Eagles outscored Wesleyan 25-9 to rally from a 41-35 halftime deficit. Sophomore forward Travesha Gidden added nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds off the bench. ... Parrish led TBC with 19 points in the loss to S.C. State.
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This week's games
Nov. 17:Kentucky State at Edward Waters, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 20:St. Leo at Flagler, 5 p.m.; Edward Waters at Lane College (Tenn.), 5:30 p.m.; North Florida at Georgia, 6:30 p.m.; Fort Lauderdale at Trinity Baptist, 6 p.m.
Nov. 22:Florida International at Jacksonville, 2 p.m.; Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) at Flagler, 2 p.m.; Edward Waters at LeMoyne-Owen College (Tenn.), 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Chris Arias has a career day in more ways than one in leading JU over VMI
