University of North Florida
WINSTON-SALEM STATE
UNF rallies past Winston-Salem State, 67-64
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Jan. 2, 2005) - The University of North Florida men's basketball team reversed its recent fortunes of faltering late in games when it took the court on Sunday afternoon against Winston-Salem State, despite a slow start.
The Ospreys battled back from a 17-point first-half deficit with stifling defensive pressure, and answered every Winston-Salem State punch with an effective counter punch in the second half, to pull out a 67-64 win over the Rams at UNF Arena.
With the win, UNF (5-9) avenged a Nov. 27 road loss to the Rams (7-4) and extended its home winning streak to four games.
UNF senior Donny Lotz scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and the 12th of his career. Chris Timberlake and James Grimball each added nine points for the Ospreys.
"I was really proud of our guys for the way they battled after starting out a little slow," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "It has been said that defense wins championships, and we are playing really well defensively right now. Our confidence is slowly starting to build. I thought we really played with a purpose in the second half."
UNF shot 45 percent for the game, while Winston-Salem State shot 47 percent, but the Rams cooled off considerably over the final 20 minutes - hitting just 35 percent (9-of-26). The Ospreys hit 21-of-30 free throws and held a 32-30 rebounding margin.
Winston-Salem State came out firing early, hitting seven of its first nine shots to build a 14-5 lead in the first five minutes. The Rams forced 10 first-half turnovers which led to 17 quick points and appeared poised to blow the Ospreys out in the early going.
A 30-13 Rams lead with 14:11 remaining in the half slowly began to evaporate, however. UNF broke WSSU's pressure and Lotz caught fire to lead the comeback as the Ospreys outscored Winston-Salem State 25-9 until halftime, taking their first lead (40-39) on a Derrick Scott free throw just before intermission.
In the second half, Winston-Salem State again started off strong but couldn't finish. The Rams led 57-53 with 7:51 to play and 63-61 with 3:51 remaining. A Lotz layup tied the game on UNF's next possession, and a Timberlake jumper a short time later gave the Ospreys the lead for good.
Alleggrie Guinn scored 16 points to lead Winston-Salem State.
Sunday's game was the final non-conference matchup for the Ospreys, who will open Peach Belt Conference play with a game against Clayton State on Wednesday. The men's-women's doubleheader is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m., with the men's game to follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.
Both games will be broadcast locally on WIOJ-AM 1010 and via the UNF Athletics website at www.unf.edu/sports.
