JU women win first conference title in program history

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There are several banners hanging in Swisher gym but none for women's basketball. Jacksonville University head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and the rest of her team have been telling me all year, that their mission is to make sure that changes.

Brandi Buie sent Jacksonville to the NCAA Tournament, and handed Florida Gulf Coast a stunning loss.

The Dolphins trailed by as many as 13 in the third quarter, Buie's baseline jumper with 3.1 seconds left gave Jacksonville its only lead of the second half, and the Dolphins upset FGCU 56-54 on Sunday afternoon to win the Atlantic Sun Conference title and league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Buie scored 16 points for the Dolphins (22-10), who trailed by 13 midway through the third quarter. Sherranda Reddick had 11 points and Jasmyn Brown finished with 10 for Jacksonville, which had lost its last 18 meetings with FGCU.

Jacksonville closed the game on a 15-5 run, with Buie scoring seven of those points as the Dolphins kept chipping away.

Jacksonville got within one point on three occasions in the fourth, the first two of those prompting an answer from Knight. She made a 3-pointer to thwart the first threat, then drove to put her team up 54-51 with 4:15 left.

Neither team scored for the next three minutes, and the Eagles wouldn't score again. Buie scored inside to get Jacksonville within one, and freshman Jasmyn Brown made the second of two foul shots with 34.9 seconds left to knot the game.

On the next FGCU possession, Atwater fouled out on a charge call, and that set up Buie's heroics.