Complete effort gives UNF 2-0 start

Monday, January 7

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:00 PM

University of North Florida

Florida Gulf Coast

Shennette Sheffield scored 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

1/7/2008 9:05:53 PM | Women's Basketball

Sheffield double-double leads UNF to 63-47 win

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida women's basketball team showed why it was the best in the Atlantic Sun Conference at defending the 3-point shot on Monday when it limited Florida Gulf Coast to 8-of-35 shooting beyond the 3-point arc in a 63-47 win.

The victory gave UNF (7-7, 2-0 A-Sun) its best start in conference play as a member of the A-Sun and also pulled the Lady Ospreys to .500 for the first time this year.

“We played a complete 40 minutes, defensively,” UNF head coach Mary Tappmeyer said. “It's hard to guard a team that shoots a lot of 3-pointers, but we knew we couldn't be affected mentally if they hit their threes. We knew we were going to get a lot of rebounds and our goal on the offensive end was to make them chase us.”

UNF dominated on the offensive end, scoring 34 points in the paint and pulling down 14 offensive rebounds. Sophomore Shennette Sheffield led the offense, posting career highs in points (21) and rebounds (11) for her first double-double as a member of the Lady Ospreys. Shandrea Moore followed Sheffield with 15 points, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field, two of which came from behind the 3-point arc.

UNF never trailed in the game, opening things up in the first half with a 17-3 run, while answering every challenge the Eagles (5-7, 0-2 A-Sun) put forth in the second half. The Lady Ospreys held a 12-point lead at the break and never let FGCU closer than 10 in the second half of play.

The Lady Ospreys started fast, grabbing an 11-2 lead after a Willonda Windham jumper at the 11:18 mark. FloridaGulfCoast put forth its best rally from there thanks to a couple of Ashley Haegele 3-pointers that helped tie the game 13-13.

UNF went on a 9-0 run after that thanks to four-straight points from Juliemay Syquio that broke the 13-13 tie. Moore and Sheffield helped turn that into a 17-3 run after a Moore 3-pointer that Sheffield followed up with a conventional three-point play that gave UNF a 28-16 advantage. Sheffield scored 11 points in the opening half, eclipsing her previous career high of 10.

“I missed my first shot, but I just forgot about it and stayed confident the rest of the way,” Sheffield said.

That miss was one of only two on a night in which Sheffield hit 8-of-10 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws. She also helped UNF win the rebounding battle 37-28.

FGCU pulled within 10 points twice in the second half, but UNF continued to hold the Eagles down and rebuilt its lead on the offensive end, eventually taking on a 20-point advantage on a Sheffield layup at the 9:06 mark.

UNF dished out a season-high 19 assists in the win and turned the ball over 18 times compared to 20 for FloridaGulfCoast.

Kristine Herman led the Eagles with 12 points, while Amanda Pierce followed her with 10 points. Syquio scored nine points for UNF, which also received seven from Antoinette Reames.

The Lady Ospreys will hit the road for their first A-Sun contest away from home on Saturday when they travel to KennesawState for a 3 p.m. contest followed by a 7 p.m. game at Mercer on Monday night.