University of North Florida
MERCER
Mercer gets past Ospreys, 77-71
2/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Will Emerson scored 19 points, including back-to- back baskets with six minutes to play that broke the game's sixth tie, in leading Mercer past North Florida 77-71 on Sunday afternoon in Atlantic Sun Conference basketball action.
Emerson scored 13 of his points in the second half, hitting a layup and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to snap a 58-58 tie and fuel a quick 7-0 run by the Bears (9-16, 7-11 A-Sun). The burst capped Mercer's rally from as much as an eight-point deficit in the second half and gave the Bears their fourth win five games. UNF (6-21, 3-16 A- Sun) sliced its deficit to two points twice in the final four minutes but could never get closer.
The Ospreys got a career-high 22 points from point guard Chris Timberlake, while Alain Laroche added 14. Rashad Williams posted his fifth career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Ospreys from losing their sixth straight game.
"It was a very good basketball game," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "At the end, they executed and we didn't get the defensive stops when we needed them. You have to tip your hat to Mercer. We need to get back to work now and focus on our remaining game Thursday against Florida Atlantic. It will be our last chance to make a statement this year."
UNF led 35-30 at halftime in a game featured nine lead changed and six ties. The Ospreys built that advantage on the heels of an 11-0 first-half run that erased an 11-4 deficit midway through the first half. A 5-0 run just before halftime broke a 30-30 tie with 1:23 to play before intermission.
In the second half, UNF raced out to a 40-32 lead in the first two minutes but couldn't keep that going. Emerson and Sam Dolan went to work for the Bears, pounding the ball inside to start the Mercer rally. A Timberlake 3-pointer gave the Ospreys their final lead at 54-53 with 9:14 to play.
The Ospreys shot 41 percent, while Mercer shot 50 percent. UNF won the rebounding battle, 37-28.
UNF will close out its inaugural Division I season on Thursday night against Florida Atlantic at UNF Arena on "Senior Night." Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. - or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the women's game against Belmont, which starts at 5 p.m. The men's game will be aired locally on WIOJ-AM 1010 and carried live via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
