University of North Florida
BINGHAMTON
Ospreys can't hang on
12/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2005
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The North Florida basketball team controlled nearly every phase of its basketball game with Binghamton on Saturday afternoon - except the final three minutes.
Andre Heard scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to propel Binghamton to a come-from-behind 71-64 win before a crowd of 2,482 at the Events Center.
The Bearcats (2-6) never led in the first 37 minutes of the game, and trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half, before starting their comeback. Sebastian Hermenier scored five points in a 13-4 run, and Troy Hailey hit his only basket of the game with two minutes remaining to give the Bearcats their first lead, 64-62. UNF (3-4) managed just two points and two field goal attempts the rest of the way in losing their sixth straight game on the road.
"We had our chances but couldn't make plays when we needed them," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We are Division I now, and we need to learn how to finish. Only having played seven games, and being through our first quarter, we have accomplished a lot. We have won our first Division I game at home and had a chance to win several games on the road. That is quite an accomplishment for a team just starting out in Division I."
Binghamton won its first home game of the season in four tries.
Senior Alain Laroche recorded his third double-double of the season for UNF, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Chris Timberlake added 12 points and Rashad Williams 11 for the Ospreys, who shot 43 percent for the game and 50 percent from 3-point range (7-of-14).
UNF outrebounded the Bearcats 19-13 in the first half but was outrebounded for the game, 36- 33. Binghamton shot 43 percent and hit just 8-of-27 shots from 3-point range (29.6 percent), but the Bearcats sank their last four attempts from beyond the arc in coming from behind.
Hermenier also recorded a double-double for Binghamton, scoring 24 points and tallying 10 rebounds. Jordan Fithian and Hailey both scored their only baskets of the game - 3-pointers - in the final two minutes.
The Ospreys broke a 5-5 tie early with a 8-0 run and cruised for much of the first half behind the hot- shooting Laroche and Timberlake, jumping out to as much as a 24-13 lead. Binghamton answered with a 9-0 run to cut the Ospreys' lead to 24-22, but UNF matched that run with a 9-0 spurt of its own to regain control.
The Ospreys led 37-29 at the intermission.
UNF will take 12 days off before returning to action on Dec. 29 against UCF in Orlando at the UCF Holiday Classic.
