DELAND — DeLand is a basketball town. At least for the time being.
ASUN Conference leading scorer Jalen Blackmon erupted for 43 points, 34 of which came in the second half, and the Hatters hit just enough free throws down the stretch to preserve a 94-91 win over Austin Peay in the ASUN Championship game on Sunday afternoon in the Edmunds Center.
With the win, Stetson earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history and will await its first-round matchup next Sunday in the NCAA Selection Show.
Stetson trailed by as many as 10 in the first half but Blackmon caught fire in the second, scoring 16 straight Hatter points to keep Stetson afloat and hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to preserve the win. A last-ditch heave from the hash for the Governors went begging as the horn sounded and a near-capacity crowd exploded, rushing the court to celebrate.
Aubin Gateretse and Stephan Swenson each had 13 points for Stetson with Alec Ogleby adding 10. Sai Witt led Austin Peay with 28 points to go with 10 rebounds. Dezi Jones (17), Demarcus Sharp (16), Isaac Haney (13) and Ja’Monta Black (11) each hit double figures for the Governors as well.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Stetson men’s basketball: Jalen Blackmon leads Hatters to ASUN title
