UNF loses heartbreaker in OT

Friday, November 28

Charleston, S.C.

7:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

Charleston Southern

Matt Sauey

11/28/2008 10:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Riley, Sauey shine for Ospreys

By: Shawn LaFata

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of North Florida men's basketball team was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line for the first 38 minutes of play at Charleston Southern. However two missed free throws in the last 1:09 of play led to a pair of Buccaneer 3-point baskets in the final seconds, forcing overtime and an eventual 68-60 UNF loss.

Cortez Riley scored a career high 21 points for the Ospreys (0-5), while Matt Sauey scored 16 points and dominated on both ends of the floor against CSU (3-3) in the second half.

Riley, however, missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 46 seconds to play, and Omar Carter answered at the other end of the floor with a 3-pointer to make it a 56-56 game. That's where the score would stay until an overtime frame in which Charleston Southern took its first lead since early in the game at 59-58 on another Carter 3-pointer and never looked back the rest of the way.

Carter and Jamarco Warren each led the Buccaneers with 15 points apiece.

"You have to learn to finish and we had our opportunities," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "You need to close out the game, especially from the free throw line. Cortez Riley and Matt Sauey did a tremendous job for us. From where we were at the beginning of the season to where we are now, we have gotten tremendously better."

UNF shot 45 percent from the field for the game, turning the ball over 11 times compared to 12 assists.

The Ospreys came out of the gates quickly and dominated the first 10 minutes of play, building a 13-point advantage before Charleston Southern went on a run of its own and made it a 27-25 game at the break, with UNF holding the two-point lead.

UNF scored six of its first eight points in the paint, with Riley, Zack Riggins and Stan Januska all laying balls off the glass for easy points and an early 8-6 lead. UNF scored the next 10 points, thanks in part to a defense that stopped the Bucs on five-straight trips down the court, holding them without a shot in those trips.

It was a three-minute offensive drought, however, that helped Charleston Southern get back in the game. CSU eventually tied the game 22-22 before Januska knocked down a 3-pointer from the right baseline to give UNF a 25-22 lead. UNF was 2-of-9 behind the 3-point arc for the night, compared to Charleston Southern, which knocked down 8-of-22 long-range shots.

Riley led the Ospreys with 10 points at the half, hitting 5-of-11 shots from the field, while Januska Followed him with seven. Jamarco Warren led the Buccaneers with seven points in the half.

The Ospreys came out of the gates and took a 36-29 lead to begin the second half, with Riley getting the scoring started after knocking down a 3-point shot from the right wing on UNF's first trip down the court.

Charleston Southern cut that lead to one when Warren hit a 3-pointer to extend a 6-0 run. UNF came right back and eventually pushed its lead to 11 before Charleston Southern cut it to an eight-point advantage at 50-44. Riley put the Ospreys up with 2:45 to play, kissing a driving layup high off the glass to give the Ospreys a 54-46 lead.

Sauey gave UNF its final two points in regulation before missed free throws by Januska and Riley allowed Warren and Carter to hit 3-pointers on the opposite end of the floor and send the game into overtime.

CSU won the rebounding battle 45-29, collecting 16 offensive boards. Carter led the game with nine rebounds, while Sauey had eight for UNF.

The Ospreys will make their home debut after spending the last three weeks on the road Thursday night when they host Lipscomb in the team's Atlantic Sun Conference opener at 7:45 p.m. followed by a 4:15 p.m. matchup with Belmont on Saturday.