University of North Florida
0-1
Ole Miss
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Florida | 31 | 28 | 59 |
| Ole Miss | 37 | 31 | 68 |
Women's Basketball Drops 68-59 Season-Opener at Ole Miss
11/11/2011 2:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Complete Book
OXFORD, Miss. -- University of North Florida women's basketball rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to pull to within five, but was unable to overcome Ole Miss, falling 68-59 Friday afternoon at Tad Smith Coliseum in the season opener for both teams.
Brittany Kirkland scored a game-high 14 points, while Larkira Jones grabbed a game-best 10 rebounds.
Maggie McFerrin and Nikki Byrd tallied 11 and 10 points for the Rebels, respectively. Byrd and Valencia McFarland also each had a team-best five rebounds.
The Ospreys came out hot, only missing two of their first 10 shots of the game. With Ole Miss up 5-2, a layup by Jasmine Hicks sparked a 17-2 run that allowed UNF to go up 19-7 at 13:48 in the first half.
However, Ole Miss took advantage of a cold shooting spell that plagued UNF for nearly the next 10 minutes. The Rebels used an 18-1 run that put them up 25-20 with 4:26 left in the half and ultimately carried a 37-31 advantage heading into halftime.
In the second half, the Rebels took advantage of a 7-0 run to pull away from the Ospreys and lead 48-37 with 11:30 to go. Ole Miss would lead by as much as 16.
Behind a 9-1 run, UNF cut Ole Miss' lead in half. A Brittany Kirkland jumper made it 58-50 in favor of Ole Miss with 5:21 left in the game. The Ospreys pulled to with five at 1:18 to go, but that would be as close as they could get.
UNF outshot Ole Miss for the game, going 46.3 percent (25-for-54) compared to the Rebels' 41.3 percent (26-for-63). Ole Miss held a slight advantage in rebounds, 36-34.
UNF is back in action on Tuesday when the Ospreys travel to Tampa to face USF. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
