Prolonged drought leads to loss

Saturday, January 19

Jacksonville, Fla.

2:00 PM

University of North Florida

Jacksonville

UNF is 1-4 all-time against JU.

1/19/2008 4:11:44 PM | Women's Basketball

Lady Ospreys fall to JU in SunTrust River City Rumble

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For almost 15 minutes of play on Saturday the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University women's basketball team looked like they were headed for a duel that would come down to the wire.

Then came a prolonged drought that ultimately cost the Lady Ospreys (8-9, 3-2 A-Sun) a 53-38 loss to the cross-town rival Dolphins (15-3, 5-0 A-Sun) in the first installment between the teams of the SunTrust River City Rumble this season.

UNF didn't score a field goal in the final 5:35 of the opening half of play and scored only one basket in the first 13 minutes of the second half. The loss was the third in a row for UNF in the series.

Jennifer Guldager led the Lady Ospreys with 15 points, while Ashley Williams scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the winning effort.

The two teams went toe-to-toe with each other in the opening half of play, which saw the Dolphins take a 22-19 advantage into the locker room after the Lady Ospreys led by as any as seven points. That seven point UNF lead turned into a 21-point deficit in the second half after UNF missed its first eight shots of the half before Guldager broke the drought with a jumper at the 13:17 mark of the frame. That cut the JU lead to 34-21.

UNF, however, wouldn't score again until Antoinette Reames laid a ball in at the 7:46 mark of the half. The Lady Ospreys finally shook the rust off from there, outscoring JU 17-13 the rest of the way. The deficit, however, was too much to overcome, as JU stayed perfect in conference play with the win.

The Dolphins shot 48.3 percent from the field in the second half of play and 40 percent for the game. UNF shot 29.8 percent for the game and finished 0-for-5 beyond the 3-point arc in the second half.

Things started off a positive note for UNF after JU scored the opening basket of the game. The Lady Ospreys went on an 11-2 run from there, a run that Reames topped off with her sixth point in the first 7:30 of play.

Jennifer Bowen – returning to the lineup for her first game after sitting out the last seven games with a broken hand – nailed a 3-pointer to give the Lady Ospreys a 16-9 advantage at the 8:09 mark of the half. JU countered, outscoring UNF 13-3 to end the half, with UNF's last field goal in the frame coming at the 5:35 mark. That layup by Shandrea Moore gave UNF a 19-17 lead, its final lead of the contest.

Reames finished the game with eight points for UNF, while Bowen followed her with six. Moore and Shennette Sheffield tied Williams for a game-high with seven rebounds.

JU won the rebounding battle 39-38 and turned the ball over 20 times, compared to 21 turnovers for UNF.

The Lady Ospreys will return to action on Friday night when they travel to Johnson City, Tenn., to take on EastTennesseeState at 7 p.m.