Islanders slip past Lady Ospreys

Thursday, December 18

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 p.m.

University of North Florida

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi

Sophomore Juliemay Syquio had 10 points, 5 assists and 3 steals

12/18/2008 10:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

UNF has 10 days off before its next game

By: Adam Jonson, UNF Athletics

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida women's basketball watched Texas A&M-Corpus Christi pull away in the final 10 minutes and leave UNF Arena with a 58-47 win in the finale of the Lady Osprey Holiday Classic Thursday night.

"We made progress in the fact that we were aggressive and we attacked, but we didn't finish our chances," UNF head coach Mary Tappmeyer said.

UNF (2-7, 1-1 Atlantic Sun Conference) roared back from an eight-point hole early in the second half to take a one-point lead, 39-38, with 11:34 remaining in the game. Shortly after, the Islanders (3-7) rattled off 10 consecutive points, beginning with a layup by all-tournament selection Jade Davis at the 8:41 mark.

Only two minutes and 20 seconds later, Corpus Christi sported the biggest lead of the game at 51-40. The visiting team went up by 12 on a jumper by Davis, who finished with 16 points (8-for-10 from the free-throw line), with a little less than three minutes on the clock.

The Lady Ospreys managed just seven points through the final 10 minutes of play and struggled to find open looks down the stretch. Junior Willonda Windham sank a layup with 1:44 remaining to cut the Islander lead to nine, but the basket proved to be UNF's last of the contest.

"We didn't shoot very well," Tappmeyer said. "Right now, our rebounding is our best offense because we are struggling to find the basket. We did a great job on the offensive glass, but if we are going to work that hard we need to put them back in the hole."

UNF outrebounded its opponent for the third-straight time, grabbing 34 compared to Corpus Christi's 33. More than half (18) of the Lady Ospreys rebounds came on the offensive half of the court, led by freshman Kayla Mobley's five offensive boards and total of 11.

"When we have second chances off offensive rebounds, we are not putting them back or we are rushing and not taking advantage of the shot clock," Mobley said. "We are looking for quick shots instead of working for a good look."

In the first half, the Lady Ospreys found much better looks from the field, connecting on .400 percent of their attempts (10-for-25), and held the Islanders to only 16 shot attempts. UNF used a 9-3 run to knot the score at 24-24 with less than a minute remaining until halftime before Corpus Christi scored with two seconds on the clock to boast a 26-24 edge at the break.

The Islanders repeated their shooting percentage from the first half in the final 20 minutes, firing true on .500 percent in each frame (8-for-16 in first half and 11-for-22 in second). UNF experienced second-half shooting woes for the second game in a row, going 7-for-32 from the field and 6-for-11 from the charity strip after halftime.

Sophomore Julie Syquio posted season highs in points (10, assists (5) and minutes played (24) while making three thefts. She finished 4-for-7 from the floor and sank her only attempt from beyond the arc and her only free-throw try. Senior Jennifer Bowen also scored 10.

"We are all progressing and want to continue to improve over this break," Syquio said. "I have struggled early this season and this helps build confidence. We have struggled as a team so far also but we are finding positives to build on so that we can find ways to win."

The Lady Ospreys will look to snap their three-game slide after six days of rest over the Christmas break. The team takes the court again on Dec. 29 in Bethlehem, Pa., against Lehigh in its own tournament, the Christmas City Classic.

"The time off is important to the girls to individually assess what needs to be done to make the team better," Tappmeyer said. "We talked about the six days off and the self-evaluation that needs to happen in that time so that each player can figure out what she needs to do to contribute more to the team."

Lady Osprey Holiday Classic All-Tournament team

Jade Davis – Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Jolie Efezokhae – Jacksonville State

Becky Fernandes – Longwood

Brittany Kirkland – North Florida

Brittany Wiley – Jacksonville State