University of North Florida
STETSON
Hatters top Ospreys, 52-40
1/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2006
DELAND, Fla. - It was the same story, different verse for the North Florida basketball team on Monday night when it played at Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson - fall behind big, battle back and run out of steam.
UNF (3-7, 0-3 A-Sun) played its second-consecutive game without injured leading scorer Alain Laroche and couldn't overcome the loss of his offensive presence in posting a school record for fewest points scored - losing to the Hatters 52-40 at Edmunds Center.
The loss was UNF's fifth in a row and snapped a 15- game losing streak for the Hatters (1-10, 1-2 A- Sun) - the nation's longest - who shot just 29 percent for the game but forced 20 UNF turnovers to help stave off a second-half Ospreys' rally.
UNF's Rashad Williams posted his first career double- double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Ospreys. Anthony Register scored 15 points for the Hatters and E.J. Gordon added 14, including two spectacular dunks in the final two minutes that helped put the game out of reach.
"We got a few shots blocked early in the game, and after that we were a little hesitant inside," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Our big guys did a good job of coming out strong in the second half and going back in there. We made the plays to get back into the game, but inopportune turnovers just hurt us. You can't give teams second and third chances to score, and we did that tonight."
UNF hit just one of its first 14 shots out of the gate, had five shots blocked in the first six minutes, and trailed 27-12 at halftime.
In the second half, however, the Ospreys went back to work inside and cut their deficit to just 33-28 with 12:16 remaining. Four baskets from Williams and a pair from center David Ashwell fueled the rally, but UNF couldn't keep that going. From there, eight turnovers the rest of the way squelched every potential rally and kept the Ospreys winless on the road in seven tried this season.
The Ospreys shot 45 percent in the second half and finished at 33 percent for the game. Stetson outrebounded UNF 39-32, including 15 on the offensive end. That led to 13 second-chance points.
UNF completes a six-game road swing on Wednesday when it travels to Macon, Ga., for a noon game with A-Sun foe Mercer. The game will be streamed live on the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
