Dawkins' 41 leads JU to 124-85 win

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University men’s basketball forward Darius Dawkins made Dolphin history with his 13 three-pointers in the Green and White’s 124-85 victory over Middle Georgia State, Tuesday evening at Historic Swisher Gymnasium.


“We still have a long way to go defensively, but offensively in the second half we did a pretty good job getting the ball happy,” said Head Coach Tony Jasick. “Guys were getting the ball in rhythm and making the extra pass. I think it’s great for Darius to get this record. He’s a really great player and I’m just really happy to see him out here as close to healthy as he’s been in a long time. He’s a big weapon for us.”

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Dawkins, who was 13-of-17 from beyond the arc, etched his name in the Dolphin record books for most three-point field goals made in a game and ties for third in the category in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history. Dawkins finished with 41 points and five rebounds to surpass John Knox, who had 10 against Arkansas-Little Rock in 1997.


“The teammates that I have were key to what happened tonight,” said Dawkins on his record-shattering performance. “The coaches ran plays for me and smy teammates got me the ball with some pretty good looks. I really appreciate what they did for me tonight. After missing two of my first three, I thought it was going to be a bad night, but my teammates kept finding me and it turned out to be pretty good.”


With its sixth win in seven games, the Dolphins improve to 12-5 on the season, while the Knights fall to 5-4.
Jacksonville scored its most points in a game since 1972 and it was all thanks to Dawkins’ historic night, along with a little help from Tanner Rubio. The freshman finished with a career-high 22 points behind six three-pointers, with five coming in the second half.


Dawkins and Rubio traded buckets from three-point land for over seven minutes, hitting a consecutive nine threes for the middle portion of the second half.


The career-high bests from both Dawkins and Rubio helped the Dolphins to its highest three-point shooting percentage (61.8) in six years. With a combined 21 three-pointers made (21-of-34), the Dolphins eclipse their previous best of 16, set against Trinity Baptist earlier this season.


The first half was an overall team effort as every Dolphin that saw the floor found themselves on the scoresheet.


Darien Fernandez pushed the pace of the game to help keep the Knights’ defense off balance and open up pockets for Dawkins. With solid ball movement from his teammates, Dawkins lit up the basket from beyond the arc, finishing with six three-pointers and 20 points in the first half alone.


Deadlocked at 16-16, the Dolphins used a 9-2 run, including four points from Omar El Manasterly, to take a 25-18 advantage with 9:41 to go before halftime. With Fernandez’s high energy play and the Dolphins shooting 51.3 percent from the floor, Jacksonville took a decisive 55-35 heading into the locker room.


Fernandez finished with 22 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, while El Manasterly added 17 points and six boards for the Dolphins.


Jacksonville opens ASUN Conference play with part one of the season’s River City Rumble rivalry with North Florida. Tipoff at Historic Swisher Gymnasium is slated for 7:00 p.m.