University of North Florida
Jacksonville
UNF rally falls short
2/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida women's basketball team finished strong against cross-town rival Jacksonville University on Saturday afternoon in their SunTrust River City Rumble matchup.
It was a pair of slow starts that made the difference in a 67-52 loss to Dolphins at UNF Arena.
UNF (6-17, 5-7 A-Sun) fell victim a 12-0 run by JU (14-8, 8-4 A-Sun) early in the first half that broke open a close game, and then followed that by allowing a 15-6 run by to start the second half - digging the Lady Ospreys into a 24-point hole that they couldn't claw back from.
UNF did cut its deficit to 49-40 with 6:50 to play but could never get closer in snapping a two- game home winning streak.
Regina Omoite did most of the damage for the Dolphins, hitting five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points. JU shot just 36 percent for the game but outrebounded UNF 46-35 and forced the Lady Ospreys into 17 turnovers. Those turnovers led to 24 points for the Dolphins.
"I was really disappointed in the first-half that allowed them to get a big lead," UNF head coach Mary Tappmeyer said. "We started slow in the second half, too, and it is difficult to dig out of a 24- point hole against a very athletic team."
Shandrea Moore tried to help the Lady Ospreys do just that. The freshman scored 16 points, all in the second half, to fuel the Lady Ospreys' rally. Jennifer Bowen added 12 points for UNF, which shot 36 percent for the game and hit 6-of-13 shots from 3-point range.
The Lady Ospreys never led but stayed close early on, trailing just 12-11 at the 15:08 mark in the first half. JU followed with its first big run - fueled by eight UNF turnovers - as the Dolphins worked out to a 24-11 advantage with 9:50 to play before halftime. They led 31-16 at intermission.
In the second half, JU stretched its margin to 46-22 over the first five minutes before UNF made its final charge. Bowen's jumper with 6:50 to play cut the JU lead to 49-40, and Jennifer Guldager's layup made it 57-47 with 3:30 to play.
JU hit its final eight free throws, however, to stifle the comeback and sweep the season series between the squads.
UNF returns to action on Thursday when it plays host to Kennesaw State at UNF Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
