University of North Florida
SAVANNAH STATE
UNF downs Savannah State
12/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida men's basketball team went back to Old Faithful on Monday night at UNF Arena - with historic results.
After losing a pair of road games in their last two outings and seeing leading scorer Alain Laroche stymied by opposing defenses both times, the Ospreys rode their senior forward's back to the finish against Savannah State in an 81-62 win. Laroche finished with 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, carrying UNF (3-2) to its first win over a Division I school in 13 tries.
The Ospreys remained undefeated at home this season and moved back over .500 heading into a difficult six-game road swing over the next three weeks. Savannah State was the first Division I team ever to visit UNF Arena.
"I was proud of our energy level," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Alain (Laroche) really led the way as a senior tonight on both ends of the floor. He had a great night. This is a nice win as we head on the road for a long stretch. We know how difficult life can be on the road, so hopefully this will give us a little kick start."
UNF will play at College of Charleston on Wednesday, at Binghamton on Saturday and then take a Christmas break before playing in the UCF Holiday Classic Dec. 29-30 in Orlando.
Against Savannah State (1-8) on Monday, the Ospreys had another strong shooting night and dominated on the offensive glass to distance themselves early against the Tigers (1-8). The Ospreys shot 53 percent for the game - including 66 percent in the first half - and outrebounded the Tigers, 42-26. Included in that total were 17 offensive rebounds for UNF.
Savannah State shot 42 percent but managed just 3- of-14 shots from 3-point range in losing its eighth straight game. Javon Randolph scored 20 points to lead the Tigers.
"We played much better as a team in how we executed," Kilcullen said. "But we still can get better."
Chris Timberlake added 13 points, Rashad Williams 12 and Aaron Caruthers 11 for the Ospreys.
Savannah State came out firing early and held a brief lead before the Ospreys and Laroche exploded with a 22-6 run to take control. The Ospreys led 26-13 at that point and never looked back, leading 49-35 at the intermission. Laroche scored 13 of his game-high points in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, Savannah State cut its deficit to 11 twice but never got closer. A 17-6 UNF run pushed the Ospreys ahead 73-51, and they coasted from there.
Wednesday's game at College of Charleston will be aired lived on WIOJ-AM 1010 in Jacksonville and can be heard via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
