DELAND — March Madness landed like an atom bomb in the ASUN Conference Tournament during quarterfinal play Tuesday.

But if ever there's been a Stetson squad built to thrive when things go a little Mad in March, maybe it's this group of Hatters.

At the very least, they came up with all the right answers Tuesday, thwarting every Queens rally and never trailing in the final 36:16 of game time in an 83-71 victory at the Edmunds Center in DeLand. With the win, second-seeded Stetson picked up its 20th victory of the year, marking its first 20-win season since 1974-75.

And that likely wasn't even the most exciting thing to happen on the evening.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS: Stetson, Embry-Riddle men's, women's basketball in conference tourneys this week

While Stetson held serve at home, the rest of the bracket was turned upside down. Jacksonville, the league's 10th-seed, went on the road and stunned No. 1 Eastern Kentucky 67-65, and No. 6 North Alabama held on for a 77-75 road victory over third-seeded Lipscomb.

The EKU loss put Stetson in the driver's seat with the Hatters set to host the rest of the way, starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday with Jacksonville in a semifinal. Austin Peay, the fourth seed, will host North Alabama at 8 p.m. in the other semifinal with the championship game slated for Sunday at 2 p.m.

"There's only one team that goes (to the NCAA Tournament) here from the ASUN and it's going to be the champion," Stetson coach Donnie Jones said. "Great game. Great atmosphere here tonight."

Shortly after Queens tied the game at 38 early in the second half, the Hatters used a 16-3 run to gather separation and the Royals never got closer than six the rest of the way. The ASUN's leading scorer and recently minted first-team All-Conference selection Jalen Blackmon led the Hatters with 21 points.

The Hatters (20-12) advanced to the league semifinals for the first time since 2021. The program has still never made the NCAA Tournament or NIT, with two CBI appearances comprising its postseason history.

Here are some takeaways from Stetson's victory Tuesday.

Stetson gets timely contributions from role players

The usual suspects were certainly there for the Hatters.

Blackmon was his normal self, big man Aubin Gateretse scored 20 points to go with six boards and three blocks, and senior point guard Stephan Swenson contributed a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. But while injury-hampered Stetson played only seven players, with just six seeing more than five minutes of court time, those who played made their presence felt in one way or another.

Tristan Gross and Alec Oglesby buried back-to-back 3s early in the first half, turning a 6-5 lead into a seven-point advantage. In the second half, with the Royals frantically trying to rally, Giancarlo Valdez buried a pair of 3-pointers right before fouling out, helping the Hatters hold Queens at bay.

“Unbelievable,” Swenson remarked. “It shows how many threats we have as a team and it becomes hard to guard us.”

Gross finished with 10 points. The Hatters shot 51.7% from the floor.

Blackmon kickstarts deciding run in second half

By his standards, Blackmon was relatively quiet in the first half, scoring just eight points on 4 of 9 shooting.

But after the Royals ended the half with a 19-9 flurry to draw to within 38-36 at the break, Blackmon didn't wait long to get going. With the Hatters up 44-41, Blackmon scored back-to-back buckets, hit a pair of free throws and assisted on a basket for Gross, putting Stetson up 11. The advantage ballooned to 13 and Queens never got closer than two possessions again.

Blackmon finished nearly right on his season average of 21.1 points per game and continued to flash the inside-outside offensive versatility that made him the most prolific scorer in the league this year.

“He’s a unique talent, it’s special to have him here,” Jones said. “He’s a humble kid. He comes in here and works, he doesn’t expect anything. He just wants to be a part of the team and get better. But he’s got a gift to score the ball and our job is to find a way to get him the ball.”

Gateretse gets going early

For stretches, Gateretse controlled the floor on both sides Tuesday, scoring on the inside and altering shots and deterring drives on the defensive end.

It allowed the Hatters to play a bit of four-out, surrounding the 6-foot-11 center with shooters and slashers. The 20-point outburst was his third-highest scoring output of the season and the biggest since scoring 23 against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 17.

“We had to establish him tonight, we knew it,” Jones said. “We didn’t do a good job the first time we played Queens of getting him the ball. Tonight we did and he really stepped up. He’s grown so much. He’s been as improved as anybody on this basketball team. To watch his development, his humbleness is refreshing.”

Stetson not done, but 20 wins is special

The Hatters are hoping for more, but the fact is, it's been a long, long time — back to when Gerald Ford was in the oval office — since DeLand had a 20-win men's college hoops team.

So for Jones, who's now in his fifth season, and for Swenson, who's in his fourth, the win total is significant for a few different reasons.

“To me, it means the world,” Swenson admitted. “It’s something we’ve worked for, something we’ve been preparing for and just from how far we’ve come from in the four years I’ve been here, it’s unbelievable. We control our own destiny now. The next round, we just need to focus on that one. But to know we accomplished 20 wins (for the first time in 49 years), that means the work we’ve been doing is paying off.”

Jones credited his players.

“When those things happen, the first thing I think about are the kids that have come through this program to a place that hasn’t won in so long, and to see a lot of kids that have come here and sacrificed,” Jones added. “There’s a lot of kids that come and go these days, especially when it gets hard, and for the kids that stuck around — the 20 wins mean a lot just for the school and for this program as we continue to build it.”

Stetson looks for third win over Jacksonville

As Tuesday illustrated, seeding and prior results don't mean much.

But for what it's worth, Stetson owns two double-figure wins over Jacksonville this season, defeating the Dolphins 71-55 and 86-73.

"They’re tough, athletic and physical and they’re older," Jones said. "It’s hard to beat teams three times sometimes. But it’s March, anything happens. It’s another game. It’s 40 minutes now and we’re just happy we have another chance to play at home."

Correction

A report in the News-Journal on Tuesday incorrectly stated that the winner of Lipscomb and North Alabama would play the winner of Stetson and Queens on Thursday. Semifinals in the ASUN men's and women's pit the highest remaining seed against the lowest instead of following a traditional bracket format.

ASUN Conference Tournament bracket

• Monday's games: No. 10 Jacksonville 92, No. 9 Kennesaw State 86; No. 8 Queens 69, No. 7 Florida Gulf Coast 63

• Tuesday's games: No. 10 Jacksonville 67, No. 1 Eastern Kentucky 65; No. 2 Stetson 83, No. 8 Queens 71; No. 6 North Alabama 77, No. 3 Lipscomb 75; No. 4 Austin Peay 101, No. 5 North Florida 98

• Thursday's games (Times TBD): Jacksonville at Stetson, 7 p.m.; North Alabama at Austin Peay, 8 .m.

• Sunday's game: Championship game, 2 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ASUN Conference Tournament: Stetson holds off Queens in quarterfinals