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“That was huge in a game like this,” Jennings said. “A rivalry game, it’s emotions, feelings and all those things. We knew we had to go on a run. I didn’t know when it was going to come, I just knew it needed to.”<\/p>\n
One 14-0 run later, JU had claimed a River City Rumble victory, storming from behind to down the University of North Florida 58-52 on Feb. 14 at UNF Arena and keeping pace in the ASUN Conference race.<\/p>\n
UNF had just grabbed the lead on a Karyzma Pierre free throw when Williams went to work, setting up Smith with a layup for a 44-43 Dolphin edge and her fifth assist of the game.<\/p>\n
As it turned out, JU never trailed again.<\/p>\n
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It’s the kind of basketball that JU has played during the season’s second half to claw back into the hunt for high seeding in the ASUN Tournament, a competition set for hometown hardwood at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena from March 3-9.<\/p>\n
The Ospreys built an 11-point lead by the midpoint of the second quarter, courtesy of a 3-pointer drilled by Jamisyn Stinson. Then, the shooting that built the Ospreys’ lead turned ice cold, from 6-14 in the first half to 0-11 afterward, as UNF (8-17, 3-11) watched its losing skid extend to five games.<\/p>\n
![\"Jacksonville](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/6aabb907356fc0e24a09cfe7785d4717.jpeg\"\/)
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Jacksonville University guard Comari Mitchell (5) dribbles up the court against University of North Florida guard Alexa Washington (22) during a women’s college basketball game on Feb. 14, 2026. [Clayton Freeman\/Florida Times-Union]<\/p>\n
“I know we were executing our motion offense better early on, and we just went away from it,” UNF coach Erika Lambert said. “We were trying to play one-on-one against a team that really has that as a strength.”<\/p>\n
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The Dolphins had too much speed in transition for the Ospreys, with 26 fast-break points to UNF’s 12. Too much rebounding, a battle JU won 46-31. And too much Williams.<\/p>\n
The 6-4 graduate transfer guard from Houston, who set the Dolphins’ single-game scoring record with 44 points on Jan. 15 against Central Arkansas, took a while to find her shooting rhythm but ended with 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals.<\/p>\n
![\"University](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/3eb31de7274c0cf3f5a3a72b8ce52179.jpeg\"\/)
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University of North Florida forward Dezuray McGill (30) holds the ball in the post against Jacksonville University during women’s college basketball on Feb. 14, 2026. [Clayton Freeman\/Florida Times-Union]<\/p>\n
Forward Dezuray McGill scored 15 points to lead UNF and Soraya Ogaldez tallied 12 off the bench for UNF, currently 10th in the 12-team conference.<\/p>\n
JU’s Smith came off the bench to lead all scorers with 16 and Tatum Brown added 11, as the Dolphins (18-7, 10-4 ASUN) extended their all-time lead in the series to 29-14.<\/p>\n
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HOW FAR CAN JU ADVANCE?<\/p>\n
The countdown is two weeks until the ASUN Tournament, just a short drive from the JU campus at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. In a tightly-packed conference where only a two-game margin separates third place from ninth, JU’s position is looking better than ever.<\/p>\n
Their seven-game winning streak has boosted the Dolphins in their pursuit of conference leader Eastern Kentucky, which has nearly locked down the No. 1 seed with two weeks remaining.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins’ only prior NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2015-16, when they went 22-11 under Yolett McPhee-McCuin.<\/p>\n
Still on the JU schedule are four games, three at home at Swisher Gym: Feb. 19 against Queens, Feb. 21 against Florida Gulf Coast, Feb. 25 at Stetson and the return Rumble at home on Feb. 27 against UNF.<\/p>\n
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“When we’re characteristic of ourselves,” Jennings said, “we’re a really good team.”<\/p>\n