University of North Florida
USF
UNF puts up tough fight at USF
12/5/2007 9:05:23 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Ospreys put up best offensive effort of season
TAMPA
UNF (2-5) rallied a from a 13-point deficit in the opening half to cut the lead to four at the break, before rebounding from an 17-point second half deficit to eventually fall by the final margin of seven points.
“You are never satisfied with a loss, but to come down here and play as well as we did against a team from the Big East Conference, I can't be too upset with the effort,” UNF head coach Mary Tappmeyer said. “I was impressed with the effort of Jennifer Bowen. The coaching staff has confidence in her and she just has to believe in herself.”
Bowen led a trio of UNF players in double figures, leading all scorers in the game with 22 points. Shandrea Moore (15) and Juliemay Syquio (12) also scored season highs, with
UNF won the battle of the boards 44-43, pulling down 17 offensive rebounds. Shennette Sheffield led that charge with seven offensive rebounds, tying a career high with eight rebounds overall. Jennifer Guldager led the Lady Ospreys with 11 boards.
Jessica Lawson led the Bulls with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while ChiChi Okpaleke scored 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
The Lady Ospreys trailed by as many as 13 points in the opening half, but chipped away at that advantage, cutting it to a two-point USF lead in the final minutes of the half. Tiffany Williams and Bowen were the keys to the rally with Bowen hitting 3-of-4 shots beyond the 3-point line and Williams scoring five points in a row in the final two minutes of the opening half.
UNF controlled the boards in the first half, pulling down 22 rebounds, compared to 18 for USF. Eight of UNF's rebounds came on the offensive end.
USF (6-2) opened the second half on a 6-0 run before
The Lady Ospreys kept fighting from there, closing out the game on an 18-7 run over the final five minutes of play.
UNF committed only six turnovers in the second half and 19 for the game, compared to 19 turnovers for the Bulls. The Lady Ospreys hit 19-of-26 free throws in the game and 14-of-16 in the second half. Moore and Syquio were a combined 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
UNF returns home on Saturday when it hosts
