UNF rallies to defeat Sailfish

Saturday, December 20

UNF Arena

5 p.m.

University of North Florida

Palm Beach Atlantic (ASUN.TV)

DeVon Jones scored a season-high 10 points Saturday.

12/20/2008 8:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Cuka scores 18, Januska follows with 17

By: Shawn LaFata

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida men's basketball team shot a season-best 57.8 percent from the field and had three players notch double figures in a 70-62 win against Palm Beach Atlantic at UNF Arena.

Eni Cuka led the Ospreys (2-8) with 18 points, while Stan Januska and DeVon Jones each scored season highs in leading UNF to its second-straight win. Januska scored 17 for the Ospreys, while Jones finished the game with 10.

Palm Beach Atlantic (7-7) held a narrow advantage for the entire first half and into the second half until a late surge by the Ospreys and another strong performance from the free throw line put UNF over the top.

The Ospreys hit 14-of-18 shots from the charity stripe, with 13 of those coming in the second half. UNF is a combined 41-of-51 from the free throw line its last two games.

"I just like how this team is playing right now," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We are staying focused. When you have 16 assists in a game compared to 13 turnovers, that's a team effort."

Palm Beach Atlantic extended a six-point halftime lead on a jumper in the paint by Jonathan Lawrence to begin the second half of play and tie its largest lead of the night. UNF started cutting into that lead with 18 minutes left in the half on a Jones jumper. Kyle Groothuis made it a two-point game with a layup at the 13:31 mark before a thunderous dunk by Jones put UNF up for the first time at 46-45 near the nine-minute mark.

The game belonged to the Ospreys from there on out, as UNF continued to attack the basket from the paint, eventually building its lead to eight on a pair of Cortez Riley free throws at the 3:18 mark. Cuka and Januska combined for nine points during that surge, which gave UNF a 59-51 advantage. The two also combined for six free throws down the stretch, helping UNF build its lead to 11 in the final minute of play and move to 1-2 at home this season in the process.

Cuka finished the game 7-of-11 from the field with five rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals. UNF had 16 assists overall in the contest, led by Riley, who dished out five helpers.

Each team finished with six steals, while the Sailfish edged out UNF on the boards 23-21. Januska and Cuka finished tied with Palm Beach Atlantic's Anthony Gugino with a game-high five rebounds.

The Sailfish got out to an early advantage and led by as many as eight in the first half of play. Cameron Lovelace kept UNF afloat with three baskets beyond the 3-point arc. Lovelace led the Ospreys – who trailed 34-28 – at the break with nine points. David Powell had 11 points in the half for the Sailfish, but was limited to only five in the second half of play.

Chris Joseph finished behind Powell with 12 points for Palm Beach Atlantic.

The Ospreys will now take an eight-day break before returning to their home court for a matchup with IPFW on Dec. 28 at 4 p.m. Admission to the game is free.