Blackmon's career-high 43 points lead Stetson to NCAA Tournament for first time
DELAND, Fla. (AP) Jalen Blackmon scored a career-high 43 points, making 14 of 17 free throws, and Stetson defeated Austin Peay 94-91 on Sunday to win the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Blackmon's and-1 after a tough driving layup gave Stetson an 87-84 lead with 1:11 remaining. After a dunk by Austin Peay's Sai Witt, Stetson went back ahead by three when Aubin Gateretse made two free throws.
Dezi Jones missed a 3-pointer for the Governors and Austin Peay had to foul with 34 seconds left. Blackmon made both free throws and Witt answered with a three-point play to make it 91-89. Blackmon made 3 of 4 from the line in the final 13 seconds to send Stetson to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Gateretse made 11 of 15 free throws and finished with 13 points along with seven rebounds. Stephan Swenson had 13 points and Alec Oglesby added 10 for the second-seeded Hatters (22-12).
Witt had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Jones had 17 and 11 for the fourth-seeded Govs (19-15). DeMarcus Sharp scored 16 off the bench, Isaac Haney had 13 and Ja’Monta Black 11.
The teams combined to score 110 points in the second half. Stetson's 94 points came with only 26 made field goals in 50 attempts. The Hatters made 32 of 42 free throws and Austin Peay went 24 for 27. There were 49 fouls in the game.
After Austin Peay went ahead 54-47 in the second half, Blackmon caught fire, scoring 16 points in four minutes as Stetson took a 65-62 lead. The Govs tied it with a three-point play by Sharp, but Stetson surged back ahead by five points.
Witt made a layup to make it 70-67 with 6:17 remaining. Neither team made another field goal until a layup by Alec Oglesby gave Stetson an 80-74 lead with a little under three minutes remaining.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:00 |  | Â | Sai Witt vs. Aubin Gateretse (Governors gains possession) | Â |
| 19:47 |  | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup | 2-0 |
| 19:21 | | Â | Ja'Monta Black blocks Alec Oglesby's two point jump shot | Â |
| 19:19 | | Â | Ja'Monta Black defensive rebound | Â |
| 19:09 | | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup (Dezi Jones assists) | 4-0 |
| 18:48 | | Â | Sai Witt shooting foul (Aubin Gateretse draws the foul) | Â |
| 18:48 | | +1 | Aubin Gateretse makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-1 |
| 18:48 | | +1 | Aubin Gateretse makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-2 |
| 18:28 | | +2 | Dezi Jones makes two point jump shot | 6-2 |
| 18:20 | | Â | Isaac Haney personal foul | Â |
| 18:11 | | Â | Ja'Monta Black shooting foul (Aubin Gateretse draws the foul) | Â |
| 18:11 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â |
| 18:11 | | +1 | Aubin Gateretse makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6-3 |
| 17:43 | | Â | Sai Witt misses two point layup | Â |
| 17:42 | | Â | Sai Witt offensive rebound | Â |
| 17:42 | | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup | 8-3 |
| 17:42 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse shooting foul (Sai Witt draws the foul) | Â |
| 17:42 | | +1 | Sai Witt makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 9-3 |
| 17:24 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon misses two point layup | Â |
| 17:22 | | Â | Sai Witt defensive rebound | Â |
| 17:13 | | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup (Dezi Jones assists) | 11-3 |
| 16:59 | | Â | Isaac Haney shooting foul (Stephan Swenson draws the foul) | Â |
| 16:59 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â |
| 16:59 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â |
| 16:59 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp defensive rebound | Â |
| 16:39 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 16:37 | | Â | Dezi Jones offensive rebound | Â |
| 16:34 | | Â | Dezi Jones misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 16:32 | | Â | Sai Witt offensive rebound | Â |
| 16:29 | | Â | Treyton Thompson blocks Sai Witt's two point layup | Â |
| 16:27 | | Â | Tristan Gross defensive rebound | Â |
| 16:21 | | Â | Treyton Thompson misses two point layup | Â |
| 16:19 | | Â | Treyton Thompson offensive rebound | Â |
| 16:12 | | +3 | Tristan Gross makes three point jump shot (Stephan Swenson assists) | 11-6 |
| 15:42 | | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup (DeMarcus Sharp assists) | 13-6 |
| 15:22 | | +3 | Treyton Thompson makes three point jump shot (Stephan Swenson assists) | 13-9 |
| 15:00 | | +3 | Ja'Monta Black makes three point jump shot (Dezi Jones assists) | 16-9 |
| 14:41 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 14:39 | | Â | Dezi Jones defensive rebound | Â |
| 14:18 | | Â | Sai Witt misses two point layup | Â |
| 14:16 | | Â | Treyton Thompson defensive rebound | Â |
| 14:05 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses two point layup | Â |
| 14:03 | | Â | Dezi Jones defensive rebound | Â |
| 13:43 | | Â | Dezi Jones misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 13:41 | | Â | Tristan Gross defensive rebound | Â |
| 13:33 | | +2 | Tristan Gross makes two point jump shot | 16-11 |
| 13:28 | | Â | Governors 30 second timeout | Â |
| 13:28 | | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 13:14 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 13:12 | | Â | Treyton Thompson defensive rebound | Â |
| 13:08 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp shooting foul (Stephan Swenson draws the foul) | Â |
| 13:08 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â |
| 13:08 | | +1 | Stephan Swenson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-12 |
| 12:45 | | Â | Dezi Jones misses two point layup | Â |
| 12:43 | | Â | Dezi Jones offensive rebound | Â |
| 12:40 | | Â | Isaac Haney misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 12:38 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon defensive rebound | Â |
| 12:28 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon turnover | Â |
| 12:18 | | Â | Dez White misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 12:16 | | Â | Sai Witt offensive rebound | Â |
| 12:14 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon shooting foul (Sai Witt draws the foul) | Â |
| 12:14 | | Â | Sai Witt misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â |
| 12:14 | | Â | Sai Witt misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â |
| 12:14 | | Â | Treyton Thompson defensive rebound | Â |
| 12:09 | | +3 | Jalen Blackmon makes three point jump shot (Stephan Swenson assists) | 16-15 |
| 11:46 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 11:44 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp offensive rebound | Â |
| 11:41 | | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 11:35 | | Â | Treyton Thompson personal foul | Â |
| 11:14 | | Â | Governors turnover (shot clock violation) | Â |
| 10:48 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon turnover (lost ball) (Ja'Monta Black steals) | Â |
| 10:40 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp misses two point layup | Â |
| 10:38 | | Â | Dezi Jones offensive rebound | Â |
| 10:35 | | Â | Ja'Monta Black misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 10:33 | | Â | Alec Oglesby defensive rebound | Â |
| 10:20 | | +2 | Stephan Swenson makes two point jump shot | 16-17 |
| 10:08 | | Â | Isaac Haney misses two point layup | Â |
| 10:06 | | Â | Hatters defensive rebound | Â |
| 9:48 | | +2 | Treyton Thompson makes two point layup | 16-19 |
| 9:26 | | +2 | Dez White makes two point layup | 18-19 |
| 9:03 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 9:01 | | Â | Isaac Haney defensive rebound | Â |
| 8:59 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon shooting foul (Isaac Haney draws the foul) | Â |
| 8:59 | | +1 | Isaac Haney makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-19 |
| 8:59 | | +1 | Isaac Haney makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-19 |
| 8:34 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse turnover (lost ball) (Sai Witt steals) | Â |
| 8:13 | | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup | 22-19 |
| 7:34 | | Â | Hatters turnover | Â |
| 7:34 | | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 7:22 | | Â | Sai Witt misses two point layup | Â |
| 7:20 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse defensive rebound | Â |
| 7:14 | | Â | DeMarcus Sharp personal foul | Â |
| 7:04 | | +3 | Tristan Gross makes three point jump shot (Stephan Swenson assists) | 22-22 |
| 6:51 | | Â | Isaac Haney misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 6:47 | | Â | Sai Witt offensive rebound | Â |
| 6:42 | | Â | Dezi Jones misses two point layup | Â |
| 6:39 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse defensive rebound | Â |
| 6:36 | | Â | Alec Oglesby misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 6:34 | | Â | Isaac Haney defensive rebound | Â |
| 6:28 | | Â | Ja'Monta Black misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 6:26 | | Â | Tristan Gross defensive rebound | Â |
| 6:05 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse misses two point layup | Â |
| 6:03 | | Â | Sai Witt defensive rebound | Â |
| 5:53 | | +2 | Sai Witt makes two point layup (Dezi Jones assists) | 24-22 |
| 5:30 | | Â | Dez White shooting foul (Aubin Gateretse draws the foul) | Â |
| 5:30 | | +1 | Aubin Gateretse makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-23 |
| 5:30 | | +1 | Aubin Gateretse makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-24 |
| 5:22 | | Â | Giancarlo Valdez shooting foul (Isaac Haney draws the foul) | Â |
| 5:22 | | +1 | Isaac Haney makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-24 |
| 5:22 | | +1 | Isaac Haney makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-24 |
| 5:04 | | Â | Tristan Gross misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 5:02 | | Â | Alec Oglesby offensive rebound | Â |
| 4:59 | | Â | Dez White shooting foul (Alec Oglesby draws the foul) | Â |
| 4:59 | | +1 | Alec Oglesby makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-25 |
| 4:59 | | +1 | Alec Oglesby makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-26 |
| 4:41 | | Â | Dezi Jones misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 4:39 | | Â | Giancarlo Valdez defensive rebound | Â |
| 4:14 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 4:12 | | Â | Dez White defensive rebound | Â |
| 4:03 | | +3 | Ja'Monta Black makes three point jump shot (Dezi Jones assists) | 29-26 |
| 3:38 | | Â | Stephan Swenson turnover (Isaac Haney steals) | Â |
| 3:33 | | Â | Giancarlo Valdez shooting foul (Isaac Haney draws the foul) | Â |
| 3:33 | | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 3:33 | | +1 | Isaac Haney makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 30-26 |
| 3:33 | | +1 | Isaac Haney makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-26 |
| 3:24 | | Â | Alec Oglesby turnover (Dez White steals) | Â |
| 3:22 | | Â | Alec Oglesby shooting foul (Dez White draws the foul) | Â |
| 3:22 | | +1 | Dez White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-26 |
| 3:22 | | +1 | Dez White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-26 |
| 3:10 | | Â | Stephan Swenson turnover (Dez White steals) | Â |
| 3:00 | | +2 | Dezi Jones makes two point jump shot | 35-26 |
| 3:00 | | Â | Hatters 30 second timeout | Â |
| 2:39 | | Â | Stephan Swenson misses two point layup | Â |
| 2:37 | | Â | Hatters offensive rebound | Â |
| 2:29 | | Â | Jalen Blackmon misses two point layup | Â |
| 2:29 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse offensive rebound | Â |
| 2:29 | | Â | Jordan Wilmore personal foul (Aubin Gateretse draws the foul) | Â |
| 2:29 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | Â |
| 2:29 | | Â | Isaac Haney defensive rebound | Â |
| 2:20 | | Â | Dezi Jones misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 2:18 | | Â | Aubin Gateretse defensive rebound | Â |
| 2:09 | | +2 | Stephan Swenson makes two point layup | 35-28 |
| 1:59 | | +2 | Isaac Haney makes two point jump shot | 37-28 |
| 1:39 | | +3 | Jalen Blackmon makes three point jump shot | 37-31 |
| 1:14 | | Â | Isaac Haney turnover | Â |
| 0:59 | | +3 | Jalen Blackmon makes three point jump shot | 37-34 |
| 0:36 | | +2 | DeMarcus Sharp makes two point layup | 39-34 |
| 0:01 | | +2 | Stephan Swenson makes two point layup | 39-36 |
| 0:00 | | Â | End of period | Â |