University of North Florida
CONCORDIA (NY)
Ospreys take down Clippers
11/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The first win of the season didn't come easily for the University of North Florida men's basketball team on Sunday afternoon. But it did come, which was the most important statistic of all for UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen.
UNF got another 20-point performance from senior forward Rashad Williams and shot 63 percent in the second half in its home opener to outlast scrappy Concordia College and post a 77-72 victory at UNF Arena.
Freshman Germaine Sparkes added 13 points and sophomore Aaron Caruthers 12 for the Ospreys (1-3), who couldn't shake the sharp- shooting Clippers (0-3) all afternoon - watching a nine-point second-half lead dwindle to just a point with 45 seconds to play. A pair of free throws by Caruthers and a steal and game-clinching layup by Ian Gibson proved to be the difference after that - giving UNF its fifth consecutive home-opening win.
More importantly, the loss snapped a 10- game losing streak for UNF that dated to last season and a four-game losing streak at home.
"I was happy with how we came out and battled," Kilcullen said. "We've got to get better at shooting free throws and improve our defense, but overall I was proud of our guys. We made plays when we needed them the most and maintained our composure when things got tight at the end. Aaron Caruthers hit some big free throws, and Ian made a heck of a play on the steal."
The Clippers stayed close all afternoon, getting a strong effort from Richard Fields, who scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half before fouling out with 3:44 remaining. Shooting guard William Cherry, who torched Division I Quinnipiac for 28 points in Concordia's season opener last Wednesday, added 17 points.
Concordia shot 46 percent for the game and 50 percent in the second half, including an 8-of- 16 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.
"I knew this would be a tough opponent," Kilcullen said. "They outscored Quinnipiac in the second half last week, and (William) Cherry is as good a guard as I've seen. They have very skilled players and can shoot the ball. We didn't have our best defensive effort today, but we will keep working at it. We've got a lot to build on from this game today."
UNF erased a brief deficit with 13-2 run to move ahead 20-15 at the nine-minute mark in the opening half, getting contributions from five different Ospreys in the rally. The Ospreys were able to stretch that lead to as many as seven points before settling for a 31-26 lead at the intermission.
In the second half, Concordia battled back to take a 1-point lead on a Fields 3-pointer with 14:51 remaining. The teams were tied twice after that, the last time at 53 with 8:46 remaining. Behind the inside play of Williams, UNF took control at that point, getting a pair of buckets from its big man to start a 12-3 run - moving the Ospreys out to their biggest lead of the game, 65-56 with 4:37 to play.
The Clippers wouldn't go away, however, rallying to within a point with 45 seconds remaining when Jonathan Duperon sank three free throws to slice UNF's advantage to 72-71. Caruthers and Gibson rose to the occasion after that to ice the win.
UNF shot 50 percent for the game and outrebounded Concordia 36-33. The Ospreys also committed a season-low 12 turnovers. UNF was just 17-of-32 from the free-throw line.
UNF caps its two-game homestand on Wednesday when it plays host to Florida Atlantic at UNF Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be aired locally on WIOJ-AM 1010 and via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
