Friday, February 15
Jacksonville, Fla.
7:30 PM
University of North Florida
70
at
76
Jacksonville
Germaine Sparkes led UNF with 15 points
Ospreys force JU to OT, fall 76-70
2/15/2008 9:52:46 PM | Men's Basketball
UNF scores final eight points of regulation to force OT
BOX SCORE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Just when it looked like the University of North Florida men's basketball team was going to pull a shocker over cross-town rival Jacksonville University on Friday night, JU's Ben Smith rose to the occasion.
The freshman scored 13 of his 25 points in overtime -- including a pair of clutch 3-pointers that rallied the Dolphins from a four-point deficit with three minutes to play in the extra period -- to propel his squad past UNF 76-70 at Veterans Memorial Arena in the SunTrust River City Rumble meeting.
UNF rallied from a 58-50 deficit with 4:24 remaining, scoring the final eight points of regulation while holding JU scoreless to tie the game and force overtime. DeVon Jones converted a three-point play, Stan Januska drained a 3-pointer and Cortez Riley sliced to the basket and hit a layup with two seconds remaining to rally the Ospreys, who trailed by as many as 11 points in second half.
In overtime, the Ospreys kept the pressure on -- scoring the first four points to take a 62-58 lead, an a Germaine Sparkes baseline floater rattled around and fell off on UNF's next possession that nearly stretched the advantage to six points. That miss, and defensive lapses on the other end, set up the JU rally. The Dolphins got 3-pointers from Smith on their next two possessions to retake a 63-62 lead and iced the game at the free throw line the rest of the way, hitting 12 of 15 shots from the stripe over the final three minutes.
UNF hit just 4-of-11 shots in the extra period but sliced its deficit to 72-70 nonetheless with 11 seconds to play. A pair of free throws by Smith put the game out of reach, however, and Travis Cohn padded the final margin with two more free throws in the final seconds.
"Our guys played extremely hard, and they left everything out on the floor," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "The play at the end of regulation was to look for a 3-pointer and the win, but give JU credit for defending it well. Cortez took what he had, and we took our chances in overtime."
Sparkes led UNF with a season-high 15 points, while Riley added 13 and Januska 14. The Ospreys shot 38 percent for the game, while JU shot 39 percent. The Dolphins outrebounded the Ospreys, 46-37.
The teams battled back and forth early on, with the Ospreys leading 18-15 midway through the first half. The teams were tied at 24 with 4:14 to play, but an 8-1 JU run gave the Dolphins a 32-25 advantage at the break.
UNF returns to action next Thursday when they face Kennesaw State at UNF Arena in the men's basketball 25-Year Celebration game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with the game to be aired locally on WBOB-AM 1320 and on the internet at ASUN.TV.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Just when it looked like the University of North Florida men's basketball team was going to pull a shocker over cross-town rival Jacksonville University on Friday night, JU's Ben Smith rose to the occasion.
The freshman scored 13 of his 25 points in overtime -- including a pair of clutch 3-pointers that rallied the Dolphins from a four-point deficit with three minutes to play in the extra period -- to propel his squad past UNF 76-70 at Veterans Memorial Arena in the SunTrust River City Rumble meeting.
UNF rallied from a 58-50 deficit with 4:24 remaining, scoring the final eight points of regulation while holding JU scoreless to tie the game and force overtime. DeVon Jones converted a three-point play, Stan Januska drained a 3-pointer and Cortez Riley sliced to the basket and hit a layup with two seconds remaining to rally the Ospreys, who trailed by as many as 11 points in second half.
In overtime, the Ospreys kept the pressure on -- scoring the first four points to take a 62-58 lead, an a Germaine Sparkes baseline floater rattled around and fell off on UNF's next possession that nearly stretched the advantage to six points. That miss, and defensive lapses on the other end, set up the JU rally. The Dolphins got 3-pointers from Smith on their next two possessions to retake a 63-62 lead and iced the game at the free throw line the rest of the way, hitting 12 of 15 shots from the stripe over the final three minutes.
UNF hit just 4-of-11 shots in the extra period but sliced its deficit to 72-70 nonetheless with 11 seconds to play. A pair of free throws by Smith put the game out of reach, however, and Travis Cohn padded the final margin with two more free throws in the final seconds.
"Our guys played extremely hard, and they left everything out on the floor," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "The play at the end of regulation was to look for a 3-pointer and the win, but give JU credit for defending it well. Cortez took what he had, and we took our chances in overtime."
Sparkes led UNF with a season-high 15 points, while Riley added 13 and Januska 14. The Ospreys shot 38 percent for the game, while JU shot 39 percent. The Dolphins outrebounded the Ospreys, 46-37.
The teams battled back and forth early on, with the Ospreys leading 18-15 midway through the first half. The teams were tied at 24 with 4:14 to play, but an 8-1 JU run gave the Dolphins a 32-25 advantage at the break.
UNF returns to action next Thursday when they face Kennesaw State at UNF Arena in the men's basketball 25-Year Celebration game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with the game to be aired locally on WBOB-AM 1320 and on the internet at ASUN.TV.
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