Matt Grahoben Coaching Career

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November 21, 2107

Stetson (2-1) 59
Long Island (2-0) 84

Believe it or not, Stetson led during most of the first half in its first road game of the season against the Long Island Blackbirds. Unfortunately, the Hatters' poor defense caught up to the them late in the first frame, as Long Island's sharpshooters could not be stopped. The Blackbirds shot a staggering 64% from the field, as they widened the gap in the second half on their way to an easy home victory.

Notable Performances:
Shawn Bradford 2-8 FG, 12 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Tyrus Hathaway 3-4 FG, 7 Points, 4 Rebounds
Donte Hightower 3-8 FG, 9 Points, 1 Assist
Marque Mason 2-2 FG, 8 Points, 2 Assists

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November 24, 2017

Stetson (2-2) 66
Arkansas State (1-3) 81

Once again, Stetson played a solid first half, trailing by just 4 points at the break. The Hatters couldn't play a strong 40 minutes however, getting outscored by 11 in the second half. Stetson had trouble containing the Red Wolves' perimeter offense, as Arkansas State connected on 10 of 19 threes. One of the few bright spots for Stetson was the performance given by Terrence Adams. After scoring just 1 point in the first three games, the sophomore forward dropped a team-leading 15 in the loss.

Notable Performances:
Terrence Adams 6-10 FG, 15 Points, 3 Rebounds
Jason Willis 2-5 FG, 12 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Ward Chapman 4-4 FG, 10 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Rodney Craig 1-1 FG, 4 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists

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November 28, 2017

North Texas (1-4) 55
Stetson (3-2) 69

The Hatters returned home and got back on track against the North Texas Mean Green with a convincing 14-point win. Stetson's post players had their way near the basket, as the home team scored 30 points in the paint. Forward Tyrus Hathaway led all with 18 points in his best game of the season.

Notable Performances:
Tyrus Hathaway 6-8 FG, 18 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Shawn Bradford 6-10 FG, 15 Points, 3 Rebounds, 1 Assist
Ward Chapman 3-8 FG, 8 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists

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December 1, 2017

Stetson (3-3) 66
#15 Texas (5-0) 84

Although the game ended as an expected loss for Stetson, this was by far the toughest challenge the Hatters have faced all season. Stetson was only down 5 at halftime after a buzzer beater three by Chad Medley, but the Longhorns opened the second half with a big run. Overall the Hatters played a closer game than what many predicted, but committing 24 turnovers was far too many to have a chance at winning against a team like Texas.

Notable Performances:
Jason Willis 6-7 FG, 16 Points, 5 Rebounds
Chad Medley 3-4 FG, 8 Points, 7 Assists
Shawn Bradford 2-4 FG, 12 Points, 2 Rebounds, 1 Assist
Ward Chapman 4-5 FG, 8 Points, 3 Rebounds

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December 5, 2017

Stetson (4-3) 83
IUPUI (2-4) 81

Stetson finally earned its first road win of the season in a 2 point victory against IUPUI away from home. The Hatters managed the narrow win despite committing 27 fouls and requiring most of their production from the bench. However, this was not a problem, as Stetson's reserves scored all but 16 of the Hatters' 83 points. Forward Terrence Adams led the way with 25 points, including 7 threes.

Notable Performances:
Terrance Adams 7-12 FG, 25 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Ward Chapman 7-11 FG, 17 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists
Marque Mason 2-3 FG, 8 Points, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists

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December 8, 2017

Stephen F. Austin (4-3) 64
Stetson (5-3) 76

Stetson closed out its home non conference season with a solid win over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, as it now heads on a long 6 game road trip. The Hatters played an all-around great game, but perhaps the most impressive stat was their 22-22 performance from the charity stripe. This game marked Terrence Adams' first appearance in the starting lineup, and in return he provided a promising 7 point performance in 20 minutes on the court.

Notable Performances:
Jason Willis 5-8 FG, 17 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Shawn Bradford 4-6 FG, 12 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Tyrus Hathaway 2-3 FG, 5 Points, 10 Rebounds, 1 Assist
Ward Chapman 3-5 FG, 10 Points, 5 Rebounds, 1 Assist

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December 12, 2017

Stetson (5-4) 70
Tulane (5-2) 77

Stetson continued a common theme of this season by playing a strong first half but not being able to finish the game with a win. The Hatters took a 15 point lead into the locker room after the first 20 minutes, but a long scoring drought in the middle of the second half allowed Tulane to make a great comeback. Defense was the main problem in the second half, as Stetson allowed 52 points after halftime, getting outscored by 22 points during that period.

Notable Performances:
Shawn Bradford 6-7 FG, 17 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Assist
Jason Willis 4-8 FG, 13 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Erik Henry 2-5 FG, 9 Points, 2 Rebounds

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December 15, 2017

Stetson (5-5) 56
UTEP (3-5) 75

A poor offensive performance prevented Stetson from doing much on the road against UTEP, as the Hatters connected on just 12 field goals in the 19 point loss. Another problem was holding on to the ball, as the Hatters committed 20 turnovers. 5 were committed by Donte Hightower, who leads the team with 4.6 per game, and has been seeing less playing time as a result. The only positive from the game was the performance of Larry Stapleton, who scored 12 points. Stapleton has seen very limited playing time due to substantial depth at his position, but the true freshman made the most of his opportunity in the blowout.

Notable Performances:
Larry Stapleton 2-4 FG, 12 Points, 3 Rebounds
Erik Henry 3-3 FG, 11 Points, 2 Rebounds
Shawn Bradford 2-5 FG, 9 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist

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December 19, 2017

Stetson (5-6) 67
New Hampshire (4-7) 69

Stetson's third consecutive loss was certainly its most heartbreaking; After holding a narrow lead with under 4 minutes to go, a few untimely turnovers allowed the New Hampshire Wildcats back into the game. With 8 seconds to go, guard Erik Henry missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving New Hampshire one last chance to take the win. A three at the buzzer ended the game, handing Stetson its 6th loss of the season.

Notable Performances:
Terrence Adams 5-10 FG, 15 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist
Tyrus Hathaway 5-7 FG, 11 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Ward Chapman 3-4 FG, 9 Points, 1 Rebound, 3 Assists
Jason Willis 3-4 FG, 8 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists

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December 22, 2017

Stetson (5-7) 58
Nicholls State (4-7) 64

Poor rebounding proved to be very costly for Stetson, as Nicholls State's 9 offensive rebounds led to 13 important second chance points. The Hatters now have a 1-7 record on the road this season, and head to West Virginia for their final nonconference game.

Notable Performances:
Erik Henry 4-7 FG, 13 Points, 1 Rebound, 3 Assists
Terrence Adams 5-10 FG, 14 Points, 3 Rebounds
Marque Mason 3-4 FG, 9 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Assist
Tyrus Hathaway 3-8 FG, 6 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists