JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Head Coach Special Jennings and an eight player Jacksonville women’s basketball roster dominated local rivals North Florida in round one of the 2024 River City Rumble in UNF Arena Thursday night, clinching a 77-60 victory.
The River City Rumble proved to be an evenly matched game, setting the stage for a unique showdown as this match marked the first of a two-game series between the neighboring universities. Both teams entered the game with a 2-8 record in the conference, and the Dolphins took to the court with only eight active players. Despite the challenge, these eight Dolphins secured a decisive 17-point win over The Ospreys, establishing the largest point spread of the year with a 22-point lead at 6:17 left in the fourth quarter. Each player who stepped onto the court made significant contributions to the scoreboard.
Zaria Blake exploded for six points in the second quarter, setting a new 15-point season high for the Sophomore and completely shifting momentum of the night. Blake also shot 75-percent from the free-throw line and 66.7-percent from the field. Edyn “Scoring Dynamo” Battle, leading the Atlantic Sun in scoring, finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, maintaining a perfect 6-for-6 record from the charity stripe. Saniyah Craig, leading the Dolphins in double-doubles, added 10 points and seven rebounds to the final after scoring six straight points in the third.
Saniyah Craig’s early dominance on the boards, coupled with Jalisa Dunlap aggressive scoring put JU in the right position to control the first quarter and eventually dictate the entire game. An old-fashioned three-point play by Dunlap opened the scoring for the green and white. Following the bucket, the Dolphins faced a scoring drought, trailing North Florida 8-3 with 4:50 remaining in the quarter. Soon after Edyn Battle sank a midrange jumper to climb the Dolphins within three.
On the next possession down, Craig continued her rebounding flurry, this time, an offensive board that drew a foul and split at the line at 4:00. Dolphins then went on a 9-2 run erasing the five-point deficit and seizing a three-point lead with 1:51 remaining. Dunlap spearheaded the surge by aggressively attacking an open lane, knotting the score, while a foul called for Kyshonna Brown propelled the Dolphins to claim their first 10-8 lead with 2:15 on the clock. JU continued to control the quarter leading at the horn 12-8.
The green and white opened the second fired up on both ends of the court. Zaria Blake ,responsible for the surge, single-handedly went on a 6-0 run to add to the Dolphins’ lead while making significant contributions to three consecutive defensive stops. By the 7:55 mark in the second, the Dolphins led 18-to-9. JU’s offense continued to flow with an assist and three-pointer from Sana’a Garrett to Julene Royale extending JU’s lead to 23-13 at 6:27. Following Battle’s lead in scoring, Royale continued to pile on the points with another deep bomb, propelling the Dolphins to a 10-point lead, 34-24, with 2:15 remaining in the half. At halftime, the green and white maintained a 35-29 advantage.
After the horn, The Ospreys opened the third in a zone defense momentarily slowing down the Dolphins’ offensive production. This defensive adjustment helped UNF narrow the gap to 37-33, a 5-2 run for North Florida with 7:28 remaining. Throughout UNF’s comeback attempt, Battle adeptly exploited gaps in the zone, securing two more field goals in the opening five minutes to extend the lead to 39-33. The Ospreys’ zone defense eventually faltered after Battle’s consecutive penetrations, allowing Jalisa Dunlap to sink a wide-open three-pointer, expanding the Dolphin lead to 44-33 with 6:09 remaining. Saniyah Craig, who had been sidelined early due to two fouls in the first half, hopped on the Dolphin wave, tallying six consecutive points herself. Dolphins managed to maintain their lead over the Ospreys throughout the third quarter. To cap off the period, Battle drilled a step-back three-pointer, further adding to her 19-point total for the game.
The fourth was a game of defense for the Dolphins. They opened the period with a steal and conversion to obtain their largest lead of the night,18, 61-43. Moments later, Sana’a Garrett, leading the ASUN in steals, unexpectedly snuck in a steal in the backcourt and converted for two points, further extending the Dolphin lead to 24. Despite UNF’s attempts to mount a comeback, trading of baskets ensued, and the Dolphins staunchly fended off the home team’s advances, securing an upset victory in round one of The River City Rumble.