Home slate opens with A-Sun foe

Game Notes

The University of North Florida men's basketball team will break out the home grays for the first time this season at UNF Arena when they open both their 2008-09 home slate and conference schedule Thursday night against Lipscomb.

The Ospreys (0-5) will welcome the site of their own gym after beginning the year with five-straight contests away from home, including three in Utah at the BYU Travelers Invitational.

UNF is coming off a hard-fought loss at the hands of Charleston Southern last Friday night, dropping a 68-60 decision in overtime. Senior Cortez Riley scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Ospreys, while freshman Matt Sauey put together the best game in his young career as an Osprey with a performance that included 16 points and eight rebounds.

Lipscomb (2-3) is looking to bounce back from a pair of losses after beginning the season with wins in two of its first three games. The Bisons fell to Tennessee Tech on Monday night 78-71, despite getting a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds from Adnan Hodzic.

When: Thursday, 7:45 p.m.

Where: UNF Arena

Admission: Adults: $5, Staff/Osprey Club: $3, Youth (13-17): $3, Seniors (55+): $3; Students: free with UNF ID

On the Air: ASUN.TV/ 1320-AM WBOB (Coverage begins at 7:45)

Web: Live stats

UNF's Record: 0-5, 0-0 A-Sun

Lipscomb's Record: 2-3, 0-0 A-Sun

Series: Lipscomb leads 4-1

Who's Hot: Senior point guard Cortez Riley led the Ospreys with 16 points against Savannah State, 12 points against Rice and a career-high 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting against Charleston Southern ... freshman Matt Sauey came off the bench to score 16 points, grab eight rebounds, block a shot and dish out an assist in the team's contest at CSU.

Quoting Coach Kilcullen: “Lipscomb is a very strong defensive team that is very well coached. We have had great battles with them and expect Thursday night to be the same.”

Gameday Notables: A UNF win would give the Ospreys their second-straight win against Lipscomb at UNF Arena and give the team its first-ever win in an Atlantic Sun Conference opener … the Ospreys are 11-5 all-time in home openers and have won their last six opening games at UNF Arena … UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen is 8-1 all-time in home openers … the freshmen continued to contribute against Charleston Southern with Zack Riggins and Cameron Lovelace each making a start, while Matt Sauey came off the bench to score 16 points, hitting 7-of-9 shots in 23 minutes of action … fans can enjoy $5 concessions at the game, getting a slice of pizza or a hot dog as well as popcorn and a drink for the one low price.

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