"I thought the first half we lived in the paint with the ball, which was key to
winning this game," said Head Coach Tony Jasick. "Upstate is really effective when teams get casual and don't get into the paint, so penetrating into the paint was a key for us in this game."
Josh Adeyeye hit a huge three out of the halftime locker room, giving the Dolphins a 12 point lead with 19:28 left in the game. Jacksonville briefly struggled from the field, missing its next three shots as the Spartans fought back within seven, 39-32, with 17:27 remaining.
But two big threes from Marcel White got the Dolphins' lead back over double digits in just over a minute, and the lead would grow to 16 with buckets from Antwon Clayton, J.R. Holder, White and Darien Fernandez.
Holder led the Dolphins in scoring with 21 points on 7-10 shooting, including 2 2 from beyond the arc. White had 17 points and five boards, Kori Babineaux had 16 points and seven assists, and Josh Adeyeye had 14 points and seven boards. Antwon Clayton rounded out the starters with four rebounds, three blocks, two points, and one steal.
"I'll be honest with you," said Jasick. "When we play unselfishlessly and to our strengths, that's what leads to our success. That's what Holder, Babineaux, White, Clayton, and Adeyeye did today."
The Dolphins conclude their road trip on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. tip at Florida Gulf Coast, and then close out January with a home game against Stetson on Saturday.