University of North Florida
Lander
Ospreys rout Lander
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2005) - The University of North Florida men's basketball team heard the message preached for three days from head coach Matt Kilcullen - defense, defense, defense.
On Saturday afternoon, the Ospreys delivered.
UNF shut down Lander for 40 minutes in their Peach Belt Conference matchup at UNF Arena, smothering the Bearcats with tenacious halfcourt defense while setting a school record for fewest points allowed in a 60-39 win.
Lander (12-7, 5-3 PBC) shot just 25 percent for the game (15 of 60) and managed to hit only three of its 19 shots from 3-point range in dropping its seventh consecutive contest to UNF (8-14, 3-5 PBC). The Bearcats scored just 18 points in the first half and only 21 over the final 20 minutes for their poorest offensive showing of the season.
"We talked about playing better defense every day in practice this week," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We thought that if we could do some things defensively, we could take them out of a rhythm. We were able to do that and keep it up for most of the game. We didn't shoot the ball that well in the first half, but our defense allowed us to overcome that."
UNF shot 41 percent for the game (22 of 54) and outrebounded the Bearcats 44-41. The Ospreys also committed just nine turnovers. In the second half, UNF shot 46 percent and never let the game get close.
UNF's Derrick Scott led all scorers with 16 points, while David Ashwell added 10 points for the Ospreys. UNF senior Donny Lotz collected 12 rebounds and finished with seven points. Lander's J.T. Greene had nine points to lead his squad, but the Bearcats' leading scorer, Jarred Jackson, had just six points on 3 of 13 shooting.
Lander came into the game as the league's top defensive team, allowing opponents only 62.6 points per game, and the Bearcats had won five of their last six games. UNF didn't seem impressed by either statistic.
The Ospreys never trailed in the game, racing out to an 11-2 lead in the first seven minutes and a 28-18 halftime advantage. In the second half, the Bearcats didn't score for the first six minutes and UNF took advantage, stretching its lead out to 34-18.
Seven second-half points from Anthony Earl Jr. and eight from Scott helped keep the Ospreys comfortably in front down the stretch. UNF led by 24 points on three occasions before settling for the final margin.
The win was UNF's third in four games and improved the Ospreys to 6-2 at home this season.
"All in all, it was a great team effort," Kilcullen said.
UNF returns to action at home on Wednesday when it plays host to Georgia College & State at UNF Arena. The men's-women's doubleheader begins at 5:30 p.m., with the men's game set to tip off at approximately 7:30. Both games will be aired locally on WIOJ-AM 1010 and carried on the World Wide Web at www.unf.edu/sports.
