UNF can't dig out of 1st half hole

Monday, February 4

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:00 PM

University of North Florida

GARDNER-WEBB

Dominique Barbosa scored a career-high 11 points.

2/4/2008 8:55:45 PM | Women's Basketball

Scoring drought leads to 67-51 loss

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida women's basketball team lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season when it dropped a 67-51 decision to Gardner-Webb at UNF Arena.

The Lady Ospreys (9-12, 4-5 A-Sun) shot 53.8 percent from the field in the second half, scoring 34 points in the frame. That performance, however, wasn't enough to dig UNF out of an 18-point hole it built in the opening half of play.

The loss was the third in a row to Gardner-Webb (9-13, 5-4 A-Sun) and UNF's fourth out of five overall.

Gardner-Webb shot 54 percent for the game and had four players finish the contest in double figures, led by Monique Hudson's 17 points.

Dominique Barbosa finished with a career-high 11 points to lead UNF, while Brittany Jones followed her with 10 points, tying a career-high. Both players did the majority of their damage in a second half that saw the Lady Ospreys hit 14-of-26 shots and force seven of their 11 steals in the game.

UNF trailed 35-17 at the break, but started the second half with four-straight points on a Jennifer Guldager jumper and a Shennette Sheffield layup to pull within 14 points. Meranda Burnett quickly silenced the rally, hitting a 3-pointer that eventually sparked an 11-2 run and gave the Runnin' Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game.

UNF's deficit remained in double digits the rest of the way, as the Lady Ospreys never pulled closer than 15 points.

The two teams traded baskets and played to a fast pace early in the first half before the Lady Ospreys went on a scoring drought that lasted 8:30. Jennifer Guldager hit a basket to make it a 13-11 ballgame at the 11:57 mark of the opening stanza, but UNF would not score again until Barbosa hit a jumper just inside the 3-point arc with 3:27 remaining in the half. That drought gave Gardner-Webb an opportunity to make a 16-0 run and build a lead it would keep the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs shot 57.7 percent in the opening half of play and held UNF to only eight field goals.

Gardner-Webb won the battle of the boards 31-30, while committing 18 turnovers compared to UNF's 17 giveaways.

Guldager pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go along with eight points and a couple of steals. Jones and Sheffield followed her with six rebounds.

Margaret Roundtree and Hudson each had six rebounds to lead Gardner-Webb.

The Lady Ospreys will play their next two games on the road in Nashville when they take on Belmont Saturday at 5:15 EST, followed by an 8 p.m. EST contest at Lipscomb next Monday night.