University of North Florida
ETSU
Bucs raid Ospreys, win 99-83
2/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The script was remarkably similar for the North Florida men's basketball team on Sunday afternoon at UNF Arena.
In the rematch with league favorite East Tennessee State, the Ospreys saw a repeat of the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 16, when preseason Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Tim Smith took control early and helped guide the Buccaneers to a convincing 15-point win.
In Sunday's meeting, Smith scored 26 points and dished out three assists, fueling an ETSU attack that dominated the boards and rode an early cushion to a 99-83 win. ETSU (14-8, 11-4 A-Sun) won for the 11th time in 13 games and moved into sole possession of second place in the A-Sun standings, just percentage points behind league leader Lipscomb.
The Buccaneers shot 57 percent in sweeping the season series between the pair of conference newcomers. UNF (6-16, 3-12 A-Sun) shot 53 percent but couldn't overcome the Bucs' inside dominance. ETSU outrebounded the Ospreys 39-29, including 19 on the offensive end.
The loss was only UNF's second in its last five games at home and spoiled a career performance by junior forward Rashad Williams. Williams scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds - his second straight double-double and fourth of the season. The Macon, Ga., native hit 13-of-18 field goal attempts and scored 17 of his points in the second half. Alain Laroche added 21 points and nine rebounds for the Ospreys.
"I think we saw today why this team was the preseason favorite to win the conference," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Smith is a senior who knows how to get the ball to everyone inside. (Dillion) Sneed always got the ball when he wanted it, and controlled the paint. That was a big key."
Sneed scored 15 points for ETSU off the bench in 19 minutes, including 13 points in the decisive first half.
The senior helped fuel a 14-0 run midway through the first half that pushed the Bucs out to a 27-10 lead. After UNF battled back to within 10 points at 43-33 with 3:17 to play before halftime, it was Smith's turn. The point guard scored six points in a 14-2 ETSU run over the final two minutes to give the Bucs a 57-35 lead at the intermission.
ETSU led by as many as 27 points early in the second half before UNF made a final charge. A 17-4 run by the Ospreys - including five points from Williams - brought UNF within 75-61 with 12:44 to play. The game never got closer, however, and ETSU coasted to the final horn.
Ryan Daugherty was the only other UNF player in double figures with 13 points. Ben Rhoda added 22 points for ETSU, which committed just five turnovers in the game.
"Once we got it back to 14 points in the second half, their seniors took over," Kilcullen said. "It just wasn't our day. They did everything right."
UNF begins its final road trip of the year on Thursday when the Ospreys travel to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Lipscomb at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be aired locally on WIOJ-AM 1010 and via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.
