Wednesday, November 7
UNF Arena
8:00 PM
University of North Florida
91
vs
82
EDWARD WATERS (exhibition)
UNF Sophomore Germaine Sparkes
Ospreys survive in 2OT
11/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UNF outlasts Edward Waters, wins 91-82 in exhibition
Nov. 8, 2007
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida men's basketball team was looking for a solid preseason test in its exhibition matchup with city foe Edward Waters on Wednesday night. The Ospreys got more than they bargained for.
Facing off against the small NAIA school on the north side of town, the Division I Ospreys blew out of the gates early, watched their big lead disappear, held on for dear life and eventually survived for a 91-82 win in double overtime over the upstart Tigers.
UNF's Tom Hammonds scored 28 points in his Osprey debut, hitting his first four shots and going 12- of-18 from the free throw line - including 7-of-10 in the second half - to help stave off the upset. Freshman Justin Cecil added 14 points before fouling out in the second overtime period, and Germaine Sparkes added 10 points.
"I take my hat off to Edward Waters," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "They had a great game plan and really came in and gave us a test. There are no off days in college basketball. Every team has players, and every team has a game plan to win. We made the plays we needed to late to win it, and for that I am very proud of our guys. We will get better, and this game will help us see where we need to work."
Next up for the Ospreys is a season-opening trip to Maryland, where they will face the Terrapins in the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. UNF will then face either Hampton or Tulsa on Monday.
Against Edward Waters, the Ospreys came out firing in the first four minutes, racing out to a 20-6 lead before a energetic crowd of more than 1,800. Hammonds drained a pair of 3-pointers and delivered an alley-oop pass to Cecil for a dunk that gave signs of a potential blowout in the early going.
EWC clawed away at the lead, however, and pulled to within 45-40 at halftime behind 13 points from Jean Metelus and 10 points from Ulysses Bain. The Tigers took their first lead at 50-48 early in the second half, and the see-saw battle began from there.
The Tigers led by three points with seven minutes to play and forged eight ties in the second half alone. After a pair of missed free throws by UNF's Chris Timberlake with 20 seconds remaining kept the score tied at 71, EWC missed a potential winning 3-pointer on the other end as regulation time expired to force overtime.
A Cecil layup tied the game with 30 seconds left to force a second overtime for the Ospreys, and they eventually took over from there to pull away. Five points from Hammonds over the final five minutes sealed the win for UNF, which outscored Edward Waters 12-3 in the final period.
UNF improved to 13-3 all time against the Tigers.
"It is always better to learn lessons in a win than in a loss," Kilcullen said. "We can take a lot away from this game, and we know now that we have a lot of work to do. But I believe this can be a very good basketball team. We just have to come to work every day."
Jeffrey Wimbush led EWC with 23 points, while Metelus added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Sunday's game at Maryland is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and aired locally on radio at WBOB-AM 1320.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida men's basketball team was looking for a solid preseason test in its exhibition matchup with city foe Edward Waters on Wednesday night. The Ospreys got more than they bargained for.
Facing off against the small NAIA school on the north side of town, the Division I Ospreys blew out of the gates early, watched their big lead disappear, held on for dear life and eventually survived for a 91-82 win in double overtime over the upstart Tigers.
UNF's Tom Hammonds scored 28 points in his Osprey debut, hitting his first four shots and going 12- of-18 from the free throw line - including 7-of-10 in the second half - to help stave off the upset. Freshman Justin Cecil added 14 points before fouling out in the second overtime period, and Germaine Sparkes added 10 points.
"I take my hat off to Edward Waters," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "They had a great game plan and really came in and gave us a test. There are no off days in college basketball. Every team has players, and every team has a game plan to win. We made the plays we needed to late to win it, and for that I am very proud of our guys. We will get better, and this game will help us see where we need to work."
Next up for the Ospreys is a season-opening trip to Maryland, where they will face the Terrapins in the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. UNF will then face either Hampton or Tulsa on Monday.
Against Edward Waters, the Ospreys came out firing in the first four minutes, racing out to a 20-6 lead before a energetic crowd of more than 1,800. Hammonds drained a pair of 3-pointers and delivered an alley-oop pass to Cecil for a dunk that gave signs of a potential blowout in the early going.
EWC clawed away at the lead, however, and pulled to within 45-40 at halftime behind 13 points from Jean Metelus and 10 points from Ulysses Bain. The Tigers took their first lead at 50-48 early in the second half, and the see-saw battle began from there.
The Tigers led by three points with seven minutes to play and forged eight ties in the second half alone. After a pair of missed free throws by UNF's Chris Timberlake with 20 seconds remaining kept the score tied at 71, EWC missed a potential winning 3-pointer on the other end as regulation time expired to force overtime.
A Cecil layup tied the game with 30 seconds left to force a second overtime for the Ospreys, and they eventually took over from there to pull away. Five points from Hammonds over the final five minutes sealed the win for UNF, which outscored Edward Waters 12-3 in the final period.
UNF improved to 13-3 all time against the Tigers.
"It is always better to learn lessons in a win than in a loss," Kilcullen said. "We can take a lot away from this game, and we know now that we have a lot of work to do. But I believe this can be a very good basketball team. We just have to come to work every day."
Jeffrey Wimbush led EWC with 23 points, while Metelus added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Sunday's game at Maryland is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and aired locally on radio at WBOB-AM 1320.
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