Jacksonville Dolphins at Jacksonville State Gamecocks
· ASUN Championship - Semifinal
Bellarmine wins ASUN, hands NCAA bid to Jacksonville State
The Knights, in the second of a four-year transition to D-1, became heroes in Jacksonville, Alabama. Top-seeded JSU fell at home 54-51 to the Dolphins on Saturday, but since Bellarmine is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks will go dancing.
Bellarmine, a recent Division II power and 2011 champion, defeated Liberty, the other ASUN division champion, 53-50 on the road on Saturday. Jacksonville, which joined the ASUN in 1998, was seeking its first league championship and first NCAA berth in 36 years.
Bellarmine (20-13) made 11 of 12 free throws in the last two minutes with Fleming perfect on eight, to hold off Jacksonville, which made 5 of 8 field goals, two of them 3s, down the stretch.
Jordan Davis scored 22 points for the Dolphins (21-10), which lost the only regular-season meeting 76-73 in overtime in the same building, and Osayi Osifo and Tyreese Davis had 11 each.
Penn, Juston Betz and Curt Hopf hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Bellarmine a 9-4 lead and Sam Devault added back-to-back triples as the Knights started red hot. Penn's layup midway through the first half made it 28-10 with the Knights going 10 of 14, seven of the baskets behind the arc.
Jacksonville battled back to get within 36-26 at the half, despite going 0 of 10 from 3-point range compared to 9 of 16 for Bellarmine.
The Dolphins hit six 3s in the second half and shot 50% but could get no closer than six.
The Knights finished shooting 50% overall and were 12 of 25 from 3-point range and 15 of 17 from the foul line.
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Statistics
 JAX |
 JXST |
|
|---|---|---|
| 18-49 | FG | 21-53 |
| 37 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 5-16 | 3PT | 6-27 |
| 31 | Three Point % | 22 |
| 13-16 | FT | 3-5 |
| 81 | Free Throw % | 60 |
| 34 | Rebounds | 32 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 10 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 22 |
| 6 | Assists | 11 |
| 8 | Steals | 9 |
| 0 | Blocks | 4 |
| 16 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 16 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 13 | Fouls | 17 |
Game Information
Location: Jacksonville, AL
Attendance: 2,950 | Capacity:
2025-26 ASUN Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queens University | 6-0 | - | 11-8 |
| Austin Peay | 5-1 | 1 | 11-6 |
| Lipscomb | 5-1 | 1 | 12-7 |
| Central Arkansas | 4-2 | 2 | 9-10 |
| West Georgia | 3-3 | 3 | 9-9 |
| Stetson | 3-3 | 3 | 7-12 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 3-3 | 3 | 7-12 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 2-4 | 4 | 8-11 |
| Jacksonville | 2-4 | 4 | 7-12 |
| North Alabama | 1-5 | 5 | 6-11 |
| Bellarmine | 1-5 | 5 | 6-12 |
| North Florida | 1-5 | 5 | 3-16 |
2025-26 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 7-0 | - | 15-3 |
| Middle Tennessee | 5-2 | 2 | 11-7 |
| Kennesaw State | 4-3 | 3 | 12-6 |
| Western Kentucky | 4-3 | 3 | 11-7 |
| Missouri State | 4-3 | 3 | 10-8 |
| Jacksonville State | 4-3 | 3 | 9-9 |
| Sam Houston | 3-4 | 4 | 11-7 |
| New Mexico State | 3-4 | 4 | 10-7 |
| Louisiana Tech | 3-4 | 4 | 10-8 |
| Florida International | 2-5 | 5 | 9-9 |
| UTEP | 2-5 | 5 | 6-12 |
| Delaware | 1-6 | 6 | 5-13 |