DeLand, Fla. – Garfield Blair (Orlando, Fla.) put up his third double-double of the season to lead Stetson (7-8, 4-3) to a 56-50 conference win over USC Upstate (2-13, 1-5) Monday night in the Edmunds Center.

Blair was the top scorer for Stetson with 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds. It was the sixth consecutive game, and the 12^th time in 15 games Blair has scored in double-figures. After an impressive 13 points in the first half Bobby Davis (Aiken, S.C.) finished with 19 for the Spartans. Nick Schneiders, the 7-3 center out of Rietberg, Germany contributed 13 points for the visitors.

With just over 11 minutes to play and the Hatters down 43-33 Blair decided it was time for Stetson to take the game back. He dribbled the length of the floor and drove to the basket for a layup to get the Hatters to within eight at 11:21.

Eric Diaz (Miami, Fla.) followed with a baseline jumper and then a pair of free throws on the next trip and Stetson was down by just four points. Diaz continued the comeback by taking a charge when Davis went strong to the basket and sent him hard to the floor. A left handed Blair jumper from four feet and the score was 43-41 Upstate with 7:22 remaining.

At the final media timeout with 3:57 on the clock and with the score tied at 47, Stetson super fan Gus Gibbs hit the floor to work his magic. He fired up the crowd and inspired the Hatters to out score the Spartans 9-3 coming down the stretch and take home the victory.

“We needed a win in a bad way after coming off a tough road trip and losing a couple of close ball games”, said head coach Derek Waugh. “I was pleased with the way our guys fought back tonight.”

The Hatters were cruising along in the first half when Thomas knocked down a 3-pointer at 7:49 to put them up 23-10. That was when the air seemed to come out of Stetson’s tires. For the remainder of the period the home team was 1-for-7 from the field, committed six fouls and turned the ball over eight times leading to a 15-3 run by Upstate and a halftime score of 26-25 Stetson. Davis led all scorers at the break with 13 points, Blair was tops for the Hatters with seven.

Fueled by its new-found confidence Upstate opened the second half with a 12-8 run to go up 38-33 at the first media timeout. Stetson, on the other hand, struggled to regain its shooting touch and was just 3-for-11 during that stretch.

Next for the Hatters is a trip to Georgia to take on Kennesaw State Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and Mercer Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The voices of Stetson men’s basketball Murray Miller and Harry Arnold will broadcast the action; their play-by-play and analysis can be heard on Hatter Vision at www.gohatters.com, the official online home of Stetson Athletics. The game will also be available through A-Sun TV and on Hatter Vision.