Bishop Snyder graduate Gyasi Powell gives JU Dolphins energy burst to beat Lipscomb
Freshman guard Gyasi Powell provided a burst of energy for the Jacksonville University Dolphins when they needed it the most.
The Bishop Snyder graduate and the only First Coast high school product on the roster for either of the city’s two NCAA Division I basketball teams scored seven of his 11 points in a span of less than two minutes on Thursday at Swisher Gym to give JU its biggest lead to that point, and the Dolphins went on to beat Lipscomb 66-59 in front of 1,024 to snap a three-game ASUN losing streak.
“Hometown hero,” gushed JU coach Jordan Mincy about Powell, who averaged 16.4 points per game last season at NCAA Division II Davis & Elkins before returning to Jacksonville to play for the Dolphins. “I couldn’t be more proud of that guy."
The Dolphins (12-7, 4-3) led only once in the first 23:37 of the game and took the lead for good when Kevion Nolan (15 points, 12 in the second half) hit a 3-pointer, then fed Bryce Workman (12 points, six rebounds) for a layup to give JU a 47-44 lead with 14:03 left.
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The Bison (9-13, 2-5) cut the score to one point twice after that but never got the lead back. Powell connected on a 15-footer, a 3-pointer and a 12-footer within five possessions, the latter two shots giving the Dolphins their largest leads to that point at 55-49 and 57-51.
Powell made 4 of 6 shots from the floor, had five rebounds and helped the Dolphins shut Lipscomb’s perimeter game down in the second half.
“It was great to see him be able to make shots and get involved offensively,” Nolan said of Powell, who was 2 of 17 from the floor in ASUN games before making 3 of 4 in Monday’s 76-68 loss at Kennesaw.
Powell said Mincy and his teammates kept his spirits up when he struggled in the first five ASUN games, scoring only five points.
He said Mincy kept hammering one message to him: keep shooting.
“He told me the same thing he tells me before every game – be aggressive,” Powell said of what Mincy told him before the game. “Be yourself. He takes me out when I don’t shoot.”
Mincy said Powell, a past Times-Union first team All-First Coast player, has been a true gym rat since coming to JU.
"He's one of the guys who's the first one in here, shooting early," Mincy said. "He always works and I’m glad to see him carry it over and have success.”
Following Powell's spurt, Lipscomb's Ahsan Asadullah scored inside to cut the JU lead to 57-56 with 6:47 left. However, Nolan responded with a layup and a 3-pointer and Workman, who drew a charge between Nolan’s two baskets, then made a tough basket inside for a 64-57 edge with 2:26 left.
JU made it dicy by missing 4 of 6 free throws in the final minute (Powell made both of his attempts) but Lipscomb missed five of its last six shots, four of them 3-point attempts.
The Bison made 7 of 14 3-pointers in the first half, with Greg Jones connecting on 4 of 6, but Jones missed all five of his attempts in the second half and Lipscomb made only 2 of 15 after intermission.
Mincy said the solution was to beat Lipscomb 3-point shooters to their favorite spots and have them get passes a few feet further out.
“They were lights-out in the first half,” Mincy said. “We adjusted to their style of play and our guys were making them really work to get a catch.”
Lipscomb shot 58 percent in the first half but the Dolphins weathered that barrage and trailed only 39-35 at the break. The Bison then shot only 29 percent in the second half, making 8 of 27.
All three of JU’s ASUN losses have come on the road and the victory over Lipscomb was the beginning of a stretch in which the Dolphins will play four of six games at Swisher Gym.
Jacksonville will play host to Central Arkansas on Saturday at 6 p.m.
“Another home game … we needed it,” Nolan said.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bishop Snyder graduate Gyasi Powell leads Jacksonville University past Lipscomb
