University of North Florida
Florida Atlantic
Ospreys close out 2005-06
2/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The North Florida men's basketball team put a cap on its 2005-06 season on Thursday night at UNF Arena, falling to A-Sun contender Florida Atlantic, 74-53.
Florida Atlantic (14-12, 13-6 A-Sun) forced 22 UNF turnovers and got 14 points apiece from Kevin Green and Carlos Monroe to remain alive in the race for the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season title with a game to play.
The Owls - who trail co-leaders Belmont and Lipscomb by a game in the loss column - hit 10 3- pointers, including seven in the first half in racing out to an early 20-point lead.
UNF's Alain Laroche and Rashad Williams each scored 17 points to lead the Ospreys (6-22, 3-17 A-Sun), who completed their inaugural Division I season with the loss. UNF is not eligible for postseason play as it transitions from Division II and will not participate in next week's A-Sun Tournament in Johnson City, Tenn.
Seniors Riley Didion, David Ashwell and Laroche all played their final games for the Ospreys on Thursday.
"I told our guys to think back on the good times," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "They've had some great experiences, and those are what you remember most when your careers are over.
"Tonight was just a case of not being able to make plays when we needed them, something that has plagued us all year. You aren't going to beat anybody this time of year with 22 turnovers. I give FAU all the credit. They established themselves physically very early and controlled the game."
Laroche added 10 rebounds for his eighth double- double of the season, and UNF outrebounded the Owls 34-24, but it wasn't enough to overcome a slow start and red-hot shooting by the Owls early on.
FAU jumped ahead 13-2 in the first four minutes and led 33-13 with 7:11 to play before halftime, getting nine first half points from Rodney Webb. The Owls led 41-25 at halftime after hitting 7-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc.
In the second half, UNF made a charge - cutting its deficit to 45-33 with 15:21 to play - but a quick 9-2 run by the Owls stretched their advantage back to 20 points over the next four minutes.
DeAndre Rice added 13 points and Rodney Webb 11 for the Owls, who have won three straight games and five of their last seven. UNF dropped its seventh consecutive game to end the year.
"We just have to keep plugging," Kilcullen said. "We need to build on what we did this year, get in the weight room and get stronger and hit the recruiting trail. We have made a lot of strides this year as a program. The process of moving into Division I will continue next year, and we expect to get stronger as we go."
