University of North Florida
Southern Miss
Ospreys Down Southern Miss 53-46 To Win South Mississippi Christmas Classic
12/24/2009 1:07:24 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior Brad Haugabrook leads the way with 11 points
GULFPORT
Up 14 at 43-29 with 5:42 to play, the Ospreys held off a furious Southern Miss rally by scoring their final 10 points from the free throw line to secure the win. The Golden Eagles cut UNF's lead to 48-46 with 34 seconds left before senior guard Eni Cuka was fouled with 26 seconds left. Cuka calmly stepped to the line and hit both free-throws to push the lead back to 50-46. After two Southern Miss misses, Osprey point guard Brad Haugabrook was fouled and hit two free-throws with 13 seconds remaining to ice the game.
It was the third win in three days for
Haugbrook led the way for UNF with 11 points and a game-high four assists. The Ospreys had six other players score at least five points. Freshman Andy Diaz and senior Stan Januska tied for the team lead with six rebounds and Diaz also added three blocks.
It was a defensive, grind-it-out affair that saw North Florida shoot 37 percent (17-46) from the field and hold Southern Miss to just 26 percent (14-54). The Ospreys did hit seven 3-pointers and shoot 41 percent (7-17) from behind the arc, while also shooting 71 percent (12-17) from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles shot 20 percent (2-10) from 3-point range and 57 percent (16-28) from the line. Gary Flowers led Southern Miss with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
The first half saw the Ospreys clamp down defensively and hold Southern Miss to just 13 points on 21 percent shooting (5-24).
"To see the passion and joy in the eyes of our team was worth more than all the money in the world," said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. "They earned this 3-0 tournament championship by believing in themselves and mentally preparing for each game, one at a time. To get 34 defensive rebounds was the difference and we told them before the game that whomever rebounds the best will win this game. Going into the holiday break you always want to go home with that winning feeling and we did that three times over which is awesome."
The Southern Miss game was the last game of a five-games-in-eight-days road trip for UNF. The Ospreys have now played 10 of their first 11 games on the road, including games at Notre Dame (Big East),
A season ticket for basketball is $120 and includes all men's and women's home games, a total of 28 games on 19 event dates, including nine Atlantic Sun Conference double headers. A special rate is available for UNF Alumni ($110) and UNF Faculty and Staff ($105). A Family 4-pack is also available for the season at $360. Select seating areas require an Osprey Club membership (per seat donation).
Single-game pricing is $10 for adults and $8 for youth 17-and-under and senior citizens 55-and-older. Children 2-and-under and any current UNF student with a valid Osprey1 Card are admitted free. Student guest passes are $5 and limited to one per student.
For more information or to purchase basketball season tickets call 904-620-BIRD (2473) or email ospreytickets@unf.edu.
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