Dolphins Outlast East Carolina in CIT First Round

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Ayron Hardy and Travis Cohn were determined to not their careers at JU end without a little drama.

The two seniors combined to score 30 points, made numerous plays on both ends of the floor – with Hardy hitting a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to force overtime and Cohn scoring a team-high 18 points as the Dolphins knocked off East Carolina, 71-66, in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

Jacksonville (20-11) clinched its second straight 20-win season for the first time since 1974 and the Dolphins advanced in the postseason for the second straight year for the first time in program history.

“I’m really proud of our seniors, who both stepped up and made some big plays for us tonight,” said JU head coach Cliff Warren. “Our guys have fought so hard all season and they fought all night long tonight.”

After seeing Jontae Sherrod hit a step-back 3-pointer with 29 seconds left to give ECU (18-16) a 58-55 lead. On the ensuing possession, Cohn’s pass for Delwan Graham slipped through his hands and directly to Hardy, who coolly stepped behind the arc and drained the trey to force OT.

Follow the Atlantic Sun Basketball Championships on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.