Tovi Bailey scored a career high 17 points in his first ever start in blue and gold, but a late 13-3 run allowed the Stetson Hatters (4-9) to snatch a 76-70 victory from Barclay Radebaugh's CSU Buccaneers (5-8) in a New Year's Day afternoon clash at DeLand, Fla.

The Bucs had built a three point, 59-56 lead with 4:24 remaining thanks in large part to the play of a young guard, Bailey, and an old guard, senior captain Chris Moore. Bailey shot the ball well throughout the game, rewarding his coach's confidence in starting him and playing him a team high 31 minutes with a seven of 11 night from the floor. Bailey's points were not of the garden variety, either, but came in clutch moments, including a go-ahead traditional three-point play with five minutes remaining.

Combining with the Georgian freshman was Moore, who rebounded from a scoreless first half to score 11 points on three of six shooting, and two of three shooting from the perimeter. The senior calmly hit two free throws to provide the Bucs with the three point lead.

However, the game would begin to slip away from CSU at this point, thanks in large part to turnovers. Giving the ball away was a problem for the Bucs throughout the game, as the team had 21 turnovers on the afternoon, but it was a particular problem during Stetson's game-changing run.

The Bucs committed four turnovers and attempted just one field goal, a miss, during the stretch that took the Hatters from three down to seven up, at 69-62, with just under a minute remaining. Eric Diaz, Stetson's second-leading scorer on the night, hit the game's biggest bucket when he connected on the go-ahead three that provided Stetson with a 60-59 lead with 3:33 left.

The Bucs attempted a fight back, as Shelton Carter (6 points) and Jamarco Warren (9 points) both made threes in the final minute, but Stetson was nearly perfect from the free line, as the Hatters made nine of 10 attempts in the game's final minute, to allow the Hatters to emerge 76-70 victors.

CSU had held the lead for the majority of the game prior to the late Stetson run, including a 26-22 edge at halftime. The halftime edge had been built on the foundation of a strong defense, as the Hatters shot only 33.3% from the field in the opening 20 and had an 0-fer from the perimeter, missing all ten of their three point attempts. The Bucs did not set the nets afire either early, but nine free throws allowed them to build the four point edge. Omar Carter lead the team in scoring in the first half with eight points and had a solid afternoon overall, finishing the day with 16 points.

The second half would be a different game altogether as both teams began to find their offensive rhythm. Moore, Bailey and Omar Carter ensured that CSU remained in the ascendancy for the majority of the half, but 18 second half Hatter free throws and the hot shooting of Diaz (five of seven shooting and 15 points in the second half) and leading scorer Garfield Blair, who finished the day with 22 points, 14 of which came in the second half, allowed Stetson to emerge as victors.

For the game, the Bucs outrebounded Stetson 35-29. Giedrius Knysas did not score and only played 15 minutes, but the junior forward was able to make his mark on the game by leading the team in rebounds with seven. The Bucs also held significant field goal shooting (46.0% to 42.3%) and three point shooting (44.4% to 24%) advantages over their Florida foes.

However, Stetson's significant edge in free throw attempts (36 to 21) and in turnovers committed (the Hatters committed just eight to CSU's 21) were highly responsible in ensuring that Derek Waugh's veteran squad prevailed.

The loss was CSU's third in a row in its third successive road game. The Bucs will welcome a return to the friendlier confines of CSU Field House, where CSU is 4-1 thus far this season, on Saturday, January 5th, when Radebaugh's team will ring in the new year with a game against Ohio Christian of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) at 7:30 P.M.