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Sweeping the Swoop: Edyn Battle, San'a Garrett get hot in third quarter to lead JU over UNF

garry smits, jacksonville florida times-union
·4 min read

The University of North Florida women’s basketball team was shutting down the ASUN’s leading scorer and on their way to a possible upset over Jacksonville University on Saturday at Swisher Gym.

But Edyn Battle could be contained for only so long.

JU’s junior guard, who leads the conference at 19.4 points per game in her bid to become the first Dolphins to do so since Sherranda Reddick in 2016-17, scored 14 of her team-high 22 points in the third period to help erase a 28-24 deficit and Jacksonville went on to beat the Ospreys 73-60 on Saturday to sweep the River City Rumble series for the first time since 2019.

JU (8-17, 4-8 in the ASUN) beat UNF (8-18, 2-10) 77-60 on Thursday at UNF Arena. The Dolphins increased their lead in the rivalry to 28-14 and have won four of the last six meetings.

Coach Special Jennings gets her birthday wish

Battle scored eight points during an 18-4 run by the Dolphins (8-17, 4-8 in the ASUN) to start the third period. Freshman point guard San’a Garrett popped two 3-point shots and had a transition layup, and later in the fourth quarter, she hit another 3-pointer to give JU its biggest lead of the game, 65-50.

The second-half comeback provided coach Special Jennings with the only birthday present she could have wanted: Sweeping the Ospreys and vastly improving the Dolphins’ chances of staying among the top 10 in the ASUN standings to qualify for the conference tournament beginning March 8.

Jacksonville University guard Jalisa Dunlap (12) saves the ball before passing to guard Edyn Battle (10) as North Florida forward Selma Eklund (13) loses her footing near her team's bench during the fourth quarter of their game on Saturday JU's Swisher Gym.
Jacksonville University guard Jalisa Dunlap (12) saves the ball before passing to guard Edyn Battle (10) as North Florida forward Selma Eklund (13) loses her footing near her team's bench during the fourth quarter of their game on Saturday JU's Swisher Gym.

“It’s the only present I wanted, to win the ballgame,” Jennings said. “But my birthday is secondary to business and we were all about business today.”

Jayla Adams leads Ospreys to halftime edge

UNF came out with a zone defense designed to keep Battle from penetrating and it worked in the first half as she was 1 for 7 from the floor and the Dolphins 8 for 28 (28.5 percent) overall. JU also made only 2 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc.

In the meantime, senior guard Jayla Adams (22 points, five rebounds, four assists) scored 11 points in the first half and junior guard Kaila Rougier (13 points) added six. The Ospreys pulled away from a 10-10 tie entering the second quarter and led by as many as seven points.

JU forward Saniyah Craig shouts after making a basket in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins' 73-60 victory over North Florida on Saturday.
JU forward Saniyah Craig shouts after making a basket in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins' 73-60 victory over North Florida on Saturday.

“You’ve got to feel good about holding her to four points [in the first half],” said UNF coach Erika Lambert. “But you know she’s going to turn it on. We didn’t really do anything different or bad. She just did what she does.”

What Battle did was spin off a series of her favorite move: penetrate from the wings, pull up and shoot from 8-to-10 feet. Battle connected on 6 of 9 shots in the third period, added a pair from the foul line and assisted on two other baskets.

“I knew I just had to stay poised,” Battle said. “I wasn’t really worried in the first half. I knew I could come back out in the second half and just get it done. It was a mental thing for me.”

San’a Garrett, Jalisa Dunlap hot from the arc

UNF started to guard Battle closer in the fourth period but that opened up Garrett (14 points, five rebounds, three assists) and junior guard Jalisa Dunlap (11 points) on the outside. They combined to make 7 of 10 3-pointers.

“I’m more of a pass-first point guard and I like to get my teammates involved,” said Garrett. “But today they were going under the screens and the shots were there.”

Freshman forward Jada Jones, a Sandalwood graduate, had nine points and seven rebounds.

The Dolphins are alone in ninth place in the ASUN, a game -and-half ahead of Bellarmine and two clear of UNF. JU will hold the head-to-head tiebreakers against both teams and have four games left, home against Kennesaw and Queens this week and at Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast the following week.

Edyn Battle of Jacksonville University launches a shot on Saturday at Swisher Gym over UNF's Emma Broermann. Battle led the Dolphins with 22 points in a 73-60 victory.
Edyn Battle of Jacksonville University launches a shot on Saturday at Swisher Gym over UNF's Emma Broermann. Battle led the Dolphins with 22 points in a 73-60 victory.

JU is also making a run with only eight healthy players.

“We’re coming together as a team now,” said freshman forward Saniyah Craig, who had six points and nine rebounds against UNF. “Our communication is getting much better. It was a little rocky but I think we’re starting to get it.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Edyn Battle, San'a Garrett lead JU over UNF to sweep the Rumble series