University of North Florida
STETSON
Ospreys fall in OT
2/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Stetson's E.J. Gordon scored 19 points, including six in overtime, to lead the Hatters to an 81-77 win over homestanding North Florida in Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball action on Friday night.
Gordon sank four free throws in the final 16 seconds to seal the victory for the Hatters (10-17, 8-9 A- Sun), who have won eight of their last nine games. Stetson rallied from a six-point deficit with six minutes to play in regulation by outscoring the Ospreys (6-20, 3-15 A-Sun) 11-5 to force overtime.
Anthony Register added 19 points for Stetson, including a game-tying layup on a drive to the basket with 10 seconds remaining in regulation. UNF had one final shot after that, but Alain Laroche's 3-pointer misfired. The Hatters then outscored the Ospreys 18- 14 in the overtime.
"They really took advantage in the end and had two seniors leading them (Register and Gordon)," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We just didn't make the plays down the stretch. You have to put a team away on your home court, and we didn't do that."
Alain Laroche posted his eighth double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds - including five points in overtime - but turnovers and an inability to score late eventually cost the Ospreys, who have lost five in a row. UNF shot 53 percent for the game (28-of-53), but committed 22 turnovers - including five in the final five minutes of regulation to help fuel Stetson's late run.
Stetson shot 44 percent (26-of-59) and committed 19 turnovers.
The teams battled back and forth in the opening half, exchanging leads four times. UNF led 18-8 with 10:58 to play before halftime, but a 13-2 Stetson run pushed the Hatters briefly back in front at the 7:39 mark. UNF regained control from there, stretching out to as much as a seven-point lead. UNF led 37-32 at halftime.
In the second half, a Daugherty layup with 12:06 to play pushed the Ospreys ahead 52-50, a lead they wouldn't relinquish until Register's game-tying layup with 10 seconds left.
In overtime, Stetson took the lead for good on Gabe McMillen's 3-pointer with 1:17 left. A Garfield Blair putback with 24 seconds remaining gave the Hatters a 77-73 lead, and UNF could never recover.
Rashad Williams added 17 points for UNF, while Ryan Daugherty had 11. Chris Timberlake scored eight points and set a career high with nine assists.
The Ospreys will return to action on Sunday at home against Mercer at 2 p.m. The game will be aired locally on WIOJ-AM 1010 and via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
