University of North Florida
CONCORDIA (NY)
Ospreys open season 2-0
after 81-71 win over Concordia
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida men's basketball team effectively snoozed through the first 30 minutes of its game with Division II Concordia (N.Y.) College at UNF Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Ospreys finally got their wake-up call - courtesy of senior forward Alain Laroche and a stretch of tenacious full-court pressure - when it mattered most.
Laroche scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help rally UNF from a nine-point deficit with 10 minutes to play, fueling a 21-3 run that pushed the Ospreys back ahead for good and allowed them to escape with an 81-71 victory. The win improved UNF to 2-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The Clippers fell to 0-4.
"Give credit to Concordia," UNF coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Their guys played their hearts out for 40 minutes and really came after us. I was proud of our guys, too. When it seemed like everything was going against us, they kept their resolve and found a way to win the basketball game."
UNF shot 41 percent for the game, aided by a strong second half in which the Ospreys shot 54 percent from the floor and hit 19 of 24 free throws. The difference came on the defensive end, however, where UNF forced 20 turnovers and turned those into 28 points.
Concordia shot 37 percent for the game but built its sizable lead in the second half behind second-chance baskets. The Clippers outrebounded UNF 44-34, including 20 offensive rebounds which led to 18 points.
Jonathan Garrett and Anthony Lee each finished with 16 points to lead the Clippers, while Patrick Milligan added 14 points.
Things didn't start badly for the UNF, which jumped on top early. The Ospreys led 10-2 in the first three minutes and 29-19 with 6:01 to play in the half and were seemingly in control. Concordia clamped down defensively from there, however, holding the Ospreys without a field goal for the final seven minutes while using a 16-3 run to take a 35-32 lead at the intermission.
In the second half, the Clippers continued with more of the same and stretched their lead to nine points twice, the last at 57-48 with 10:21 remaining. The UNF rally started from there, with Chris Timberlake's 3-pointer with 7:17 to play pushing the Ospreys back in front 60-59. They wouldn't trail again, stretching their advantage to as many as 11 points before settling for the final margin.
David Ashwell added 12 points for UNF, while Derrick Scott and freshman Cortez Riley each scored 11.
"I thought Cortez Riley and Riley Didion played fantastic for us off the bench," Kilcullen said. "They gave us big lifts when we needed them and got some key guys in foul trouble. Over the course of the season, teams will always have games like this, where you don't play your best and need to find a way to win. This is a good learning experience for our guys."
Next up is Atlantic Sun Conference play for the Ospreys, who play at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and at Jacksonville on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
