University of North Florida
BINGHAMTON
Binghamton gets by UNF
12/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Binghamton's Steve Proctor scored 26 points and Richard Forbes added 21 points off the bench - including 15 in the second half - to propel the Bearcats past the North Florida men's basketball team 79-61 in a non-conference matchup at UNF Arena on Monday night.
UNF (1-9) got 16 points from Rashad Williams and 10 points apiece off the bench from James Grimball and Aaron Caruthers, but those performances weren't enough to overcome cold shooting in the first half and another dismal performance at the free throw line.
The Ospreys hit just nine of 21 free throws in the game and only two of 11 attempts in the second half. UNF's post players combined to go five for 15 from the stripe, aiding in the misfortune. UNF trailed 41-26 at halftime after Proctor exploded for 15 points in the first 20 minutes and UNF hit just 34 percent from the floor (9 of 26).
In the second half, UNF sliced its margin to 50-40 with 14:18 remaining and then to 55-42 with 11:02 to play, but could never get closer.
"The effort was there from our guys in the second half," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We've just got to learn to capitalize on our opportunities. We didn't do a good at the free throw line again, and I'm perplexed by that. We've got to believe we can make them. That was a big factor in this game."
Binghamton (5-4) caught fire early and maintained that pace throughout the game - shooting 52 percent from the floor and 74 percent from the free throw line (23 of 31). The Bearcats also shot 35 percent from 3-point range (eight of 23), including four long-range shots from Proctor.
The Bearcats won the rebounding battle, 36-32.
UNF grabbed a 2-0 lead out of the gates, but Binghamton erased that quickly with a 13-0 run. After UNF sliced its deficit to 15-13, the Bearcats answered with an 11-0 run and never looked back.
Grimball finished with his first career double- double, also collecting a career high 13 rebounds. Chris Timberlake tied his career high with nine assists for the Ospreys.
UNF returns to action on Wednesday when it plays host to Florida A&M at UNF Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be aired live in Jacksonville on WIOJ-AM 1010 and via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
