Notre Dame shakes Ospreys late

Monday, December 31

South Bend, Ind.

1:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

Notre Dame

Tom Hammonds

12/31/2007 3:17:14 PM | Men's Basketball

Januska scores 14 points in UNF's 77-58 loss

By: Tom Strother, UNF Athletics

BOX SCORE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The University of North Florida men's basketball team made head coach Matt Kilcullen proud with its effort against Big East foe Notre Dame on Monday afternoon. Although it came in a 77-58 loss, the Ospreys' head coach saw glimpses of what he hopes makes the beginning of UNF's conference season something to look forward to.

Notre Dame got dominating performances from their inside tandem of Rob Kurz and Luke Harangody, and the Fighting Irish eventually managed to shake the pesky Ospreys down the stretch in posting a win in the first meeting between the schools. Kurz scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Harangody added 22 points and six rebounds despite being saddled with foul trouble much of the game.

UNF trailed by just nine points at halftime and by only 16 with three minutes to play in the game. The Ospreys (1-11) had two chances to close the gap after that but couldn't find the basket. Notre Dame shot 44 percent for the game and outrebounded the Ospreys only 41-38. UNF shot 37 percent -- including a 40 percent clip over the final 20 minutes -- and committed 17 turnovers.

Stan Januska led UNF with 14 points, while Tom Hammonds added 12.

The game marked a return for Kilcullen to the school where he spent six season as an assistant coach under Digger Phelps in the 1980s and an opportunity for UNF to square off with a Big East powerhouse and an annual participant in the NCAA Tournament. He was honored prior to the game by Notre Dame coach Mike Brey and presented with a framed picture of Notre Dame's famed Golden Dome.

"I loved our effort," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Their size and physical ability hurt us inside today, but I was really pleased with our defensive effort. Our kids played hard and left everything out there on the floor. They went toe-to-toe with a big, physical Bi East team, and I couldn't be more proud."

The Ospreys look strong early, staying even with the Fighting Irish over the first eight minutes. A James Grimball layup tied the game at 11 with 13:33 remaining in the first half. An 11-2 Notre Dame run over the next five minutes pushed the Fighting Irish ahead for good, and they led 27-18 at the break.

In the second half, UNF stayed close -- slicing a 22- point deficit to 55-40 with 6:47 to play, and Justin Cecil 3-pointer rimmed out on the Ospreys' next possession, which could have cut the deficit to 12. Kurz and Harangody took over from there to end the threat.

The Ospreys will open Atlantic Sun Conference play this week with a pair of games at UNF Arena. UNF faces Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then entertains Stetson at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday as part of a men's-women's doubleheader. Both men's games will be aired locally on WBOB-AM 1320 and videostreamed via ASUN.TV.

"We are 0-0 now as we go into conference play," Kilcullen said. "We get a fresh start. Hopefully we can take an effort like this and use it to springboard us into a good finish in conference play."