Ospreys play tough in loss to 21st-ranked Florida Gulf Coast

Saturday, November 13

Orlando, Fla.

4:00 PM

University of North Florida

103

Florida Gulf Coast

Ospreys play tough in loss to 21st-ranked Florida Gulf Coast

2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

GAME NOTES l BOX SCORE

ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2004) - The University of North Florida men's basketball team had a simple goal heading into its second-round game at the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon - Improvement.

Against Florida Gulf Coast, the Ospreys accomplished their mission.
UNF shot 49 percent from the floor and hung tight with the 21st-ranked Eagles at the Milk House in the Wide World of Sports Complex. Despite slicing a 10-point halftime deficit to two points on five occasions, too many freebies eventually proved to be the Ospreys' undoing.

Florida Gulf Coast hit 42-of-55 free throw attempts and exploited UNF's transition defense with a bevy of easy baskets to pull away for a 103-95 win in a loser's bracket game. UNF will play Peach Belt Conference foe Clayton State in the seventh-place game on Sunday at 8:30 p.m., while FGCU advances to play Bentley in the fifth-place game at 1 p.m.

Kelvin Coggins scored 33 points, hitting all 12 free throw attempts and connecting on 10-of-14 field goals, to lead the Eagles (1-1). Bryan Crislip added 20 points, including a 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that put the game out of reach.

"We've played two Top 25-type teams in this tournament, and we've gone from not knowing how to feel about ourselves to feeling pretty good," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We played with great intensity and executed very well. We did some good things. Free throws and transition defense hurt us."

Sophomore center James Grimball led the Ospreys with 22 points. Donny Lotz added 14 points and freshman Tom Abernathy 13 for UNF, which led 27-19 midway through the first half.

A 17-2 run by Florida Gulf Coast over the next five minutes pushed the Eagles ahead for good. FGCU led, 54-44, at halftime.

Trailing 94-91, the Ospreys (0-2) had a chance to tie the game in the final two minutes, but a 3-pointer by freshman guard Chris Timberlake rimmed out. FGCU outscored the Ospreys 9-4 the rest of the way to improve to 3-0 all time in the series between the schools. The Eagles shot 50 percent (26-of-52) and hit 9-of-19 shots from 3-point range. UNF hit just 3-of-11 3-pointers and only 24-of-39 free throw attempts.

The teams combined for 65 fouls in the game.

"We'll take a lot of positives out of this game," Kilcullen said. "We had a chance to tie the game at 94 with a wide-open (3-pointer). Unfortunately, the shot didn't fall. From last night to today, our offensive execution improved tremendously."