JU wins home opener vs Trinity 78-48

Freshman Jarvis Haywood led the Dolphins with 16 points

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The JU men's basketball team had four players score in double-figures to defeat Trinity Baptist College, 78-48, in the home opener at the Veterans Memorial Arena Tuesday night.

 

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Freshman Jarvis Haywood took advantage of his first career start with 16 points and nine rebounds to lead the Dolphins (1-1) to their third straight home-opening win. Junior Keith McDougald recorded 12 points, while freshman Marcellous Bell had 11 points off the bench.

 

Freshman Kordario Fleming tallied his first double-double at 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Dolphins who shot 50.8 (31-61) from the floor for the game.

 

"We are happy to get our first win," JU head coach Cliff Warren said. "It was nice to see our new guys step up and perform well tonight. We played well defensively in the second half and hopefully we can carry that into Friday's game."

 

The Dolphins' defense held the Eagles (4-2) to a 26.7 field-goal percentage (6-23) in the second half after they went 11-for-30 (36.7) in the first half. JU also hurt Trinity Baptist with points in the paint (36-18), fast-break points (22-4) and bench points (40-11).

 

In the first half, the Dolphins opened with a 15-6 lead (13:45) on a layup from freshman Tyler Alderman. The Eagles followed with an 11-2 run, capped on a Roth jumper, to tie it a 17 less than two minutes later. Trinity Baptist College took slim lead on free throws before a layup and two free throws from Fleming and sophomore Evin Graham each gave the Dolphins a 31-24 lead (3:13). Charles Cooks hit a pointer to cut the deficit to three with seconds remaining, but jumpers by Graham and Alderman gave JU a 37-30 advantage into the break.

 

Cory Roth led the Eagles with 16 points and nine rebounds. Darrius Jones finished with nine points, while Andrew DiSanto added eight points and four steals.

 

Less than five minutes into the second half, the Eagles cut a deficit to nine on two Cooks' free throws. The Dolphins countered a 19-5 stretch, capped on Bell three-pointer, to put the game out of reach.

 

Graham finished with eight points for the Dolphins, while Alderman had six points in 15 minutes. Senior Russell Powell recorded a team-best five assists for the second straight contest.

 

The Dolphins begin a six-game road trip Friday against in-state rival Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the game on Fox Sports South.