UNF carries streak into A-Sun matchup

Game Notes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sporting its first winning streak of the season and an Atlantic Sun Conference-opening win for the second year in a row, the University of North Florida women's basketball team continues league play on Saturday by hosting Belmont at UNF Arena at 2 p.m.

For the second-straight contest, senior Jennifer Bowen stole the show, this time clinching the Lady Osprey (2-3, 1-0 A-Sun) win with a 15-foot, buzzer-beating jumper against Lipscomb Thursday night. This performance came only four days after she posted her first career double-double against Wofford to lead UNF to its first win of the season, 71-60.

Junior Willonda Windham led UNF with 12 points against Lipscomb, tying her career high which was set against Lipscomb two seasons ago. Windham also topped the team with six rebounds.

The result made the Lady Ospreys winners of two in a row for their first winning streak of the season. UNF won its A-Sun opener for the second consecutive year, and emerged on top in its first two last season. Both Lady Osprey wins this season have come at UNF Arena, where the team has a 2-1 record this season, including an 11-point win over Wofford (71-60) and an 11-point loss to then-ranked No. 21 Florida State (60-49).

Last season, the Lady Ospreys visited Nashville, Tenn., to face the Bruins and nabbed a 57-52 win. Bowen steered the UNF squad with 23 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers, while fellow senior Jennifer Guldager grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds.

Belmont (4-2, 1-0) defeated Jacksonville by a score of 51-45 on Thursday night to start its conference slate with a win. The Bruins are led by Amber Rockwell's 14.8 points per game and Jessica Bobbitt's 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. Belmont, which is outscoring opponents by an average of a little less than five points per game, has blocked 5.8 shots per game and limited opponents to a .243 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

When: Saturday, December 6, 2008 – 2 p.m.

Where: UNF Arena

Admission: Adult -- $5; Seniors (55+)/Youth (13-17) -- $3; See promotions below.

ASUN.TV: Click here (coverage begins at 1:45 p.m.)

Live Stats: Click here (begins at 2 p.m.)

UNF's Record: 2-3 (1-0 A-Sun)

Lipscomb's Record: 4-2 (1-0 A-Sun

Series: Belmont leads, 3-2

Last Meeting: UNF won, 63-51 (at Belmont on Feb. 9, 2008)

Who's Hot: Coming off her first career double-double in UNF's first win of the season against Wofford on Sunday, Bowen continued her hot streak by draining a jumper as time expired to give UNF a win against Lipscomb … Windham tied her career high with 12 points in the contest … freshman Brittany Kirkland earned a starting spot against Lipscomb for the second-straight game and saw a career-high 29 minutes of action after setting a career high of 15 points against Wofford … Bowen, Windham and Kirkland are expected to be in the starting lineup against Belmont.

Quoting Coach Tappmeyer: "Winning our conference opener was very big for us. With our team being so young, it is a roller coaster ride a lot of the time, so it is good to be on a high at the beginning of league play. We still have some work to do – particularly defensively – to get ready for Belmont."

Gameday Notables: UNF is in its final season of the four-year transition into Division I … the Lady Ospreys won their A-Sun opener for the second consecutive season, making the team 2-2 in A-Sun openers … UNF went on to win its first two league games last season … … the Lady Ospreys are 4-1 all-time when playing on Dec. 6 … the Lady Ospreys are coming off their best finish since entering the transitional period, finishing with a 13-16 overall record and 8-8 A-Sun record in 2007-08 … Bowen and Guldager will steer the program once again, having been with the team through every season of the reclassification process.

Promotions: Middle School Madness (sponsored by Dell Computers) – middle schools compete for highest attendance and winner will receive a Dell printer … Team Day – middle and elementary school athletic teams and coaching staffs receive free admission.

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