University of North Florida
CAMPBELL
Ospreys swoop 1st A-Sun win
1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Thursday night offered a sweet ending and joyous new beginning for the North Florida men's basketball team.
Alain Laroche scored 23 points - one of four Ospreys in double figures - to help UNF snap a 10-game losing streak and pick up its first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference victory with a 95-84 win over Campbell at UNF Arena.
Freshman Ryan Daugherty added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Ospreys (4-12, 1-8 A-Sun), while Rashad Williams had 17 points and Chris Timberlake 12.
UNF shot 56 percent in the first half in stretching out to a 48-36 halftime lead, and never let Campbell get closer than five points in the second half in winning for the fourth time in six games at home this season.
"This win has been a long time coming," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We've been in so many close games in the last month, and it was good to see us finally grab hold and pull one out. It wasn't easy, but I liked the way our guys competed and kept playing to the final buzzer. We found a way to get things done."
Eric Smith led Campbell (5-11, 4-5 A-Sun) with 19 points, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, while Maurice Latham and Reggie Bishop had 15 each. Comerlee Poole and Ruell Pringle scored 11 each for Campbell, which dropped its second-straight game.
UNF shot 62 percent (13-21) from the floor in the second half and finished at a season-best 59 percent for the game. Campbell shot 46 percent but struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 14-of-28 shots. UNF made 18-of-24 foul shots in the second half and 24-of-34 in the game.
Campbell hit a season-low six 3-point baskets. The Camels entered the game ranked fifth nationally in threes made per game (9.9), but they hit just 2-of- 12 in the second period.
Laroche keyed a 12-3 UNF run midway through the first half with a pair of 3-pointers, and the Ospreys led by as many as 14 before taking a 48-36 edge into the dressing room. Smith kept the Camels close, hitting 4-of-5 threes and scoring 16 before the break.
The Camels pulled with 60-55 with 12:28 left on Ruell Pringle's bucket, but UNF got a pair of 3-pointers from Riley Didion and another from Daugherty to push the lead back to double digits.
"Riley Didion's shot were huge for us," Kilcullen said. "We needed a big play, and Riley delivered for us. We also got another great performance out of Ryan Daugherty, who is coming into his own. We just need to build on this win and keep trying to get better."
UNF made 9-of-18 3-pointers but lost the rebounding battle, 38-34.
UNF returns to action on Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m. game against Gardner-Webb, the defending A- Sun regular-season champion. The game will be aired on WIOJ-AM 1010 in Jacksonville and on the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
