Lady Ospreys shoot for second streak

Saturday, January 31

Jacksonville, Fla.

2 p.m.

University of North Florida

East Tennessee State University

The Lady Ospreys are 3-0 this season when scoring at least 60 points

1/30/2009 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

UNF hosts East Tennessee State at 2 p.m. Saturday

By: Adam Jonson, UNF Athletics

Game Notes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Winners in two of its last three, the University of North Florida women's basketball team can put together its second winning streak of the season on Saturday when Atlantic Sun Conference leading East Tennessee State makes its way to UNF Arena for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

UNF (4-16, 3-8 A-Sun) avenged an early 2009 loss to USC Upstate on Thursday night by putting together its highest offensive output of the season in a 74-64 win. The Lady Ospreys will look for revenge again on Saturday after falling 56-42 at ETSU (12-7, 10-1) on Jan. 5.

The Lady Ospreys fired on all cylinders in their win against the Spartans, using defensive pressure to create offensive opportunities. UNF forced 28 turnovers and scored 24 points off those miscues – 10 points in fast-break situations.

After opening its A-Sun slate with a 15-point loss to Mercer, ETSU has run off 10-straight wins in league play. The Lady Bucs have outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points in their last five games and are coming off a 65-54 win against Jacksonville.

ETSU boasts the league's second-best scoring offense (67.8 ppg), which is led by the conference's top scorer TaRonda Wilkes (16.3 ppg). Siarre Evans' average of 14.5 ppg ranks fourth in the A-Sun, and her mark of 9.8 rebounds per game tops the league list.

In the first meeting between the two this season, the Bucs handed the Lady Ospreys their eighth-straight loss by scoring 24 points in the paint and 20 points off 29 UNF turnovers. Bowen notched her second consecutive double-digit scoring effort with 17 points and was the only Lady Ospreys to play more than 26 minutes (played 35 minutes).

When: Saturday, Jan. 31 – 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: 4-16 (3-8 A-Sun)

ETSU's Record: 12-7 (10-1 A-Sun)

Series: ETSU leads, 6-0

Last Meeting: Jan. 5, 2009, in Johnson City, Tenn. (ETSU won, 56-42)

Who's Hot: Sophomore Juliemay Syquio tied her season-high of 13 points (also against Stetson this season), set a new career-high with seven assists, came one steal short of tying her career-high of eight steals (set against Stetson this season) and tied her career-best rebounding performance with six boards. She played 26 minutes in her fourth-straight start against Stetson and sank seven of her 10 free-throw attempts (both career bests).

Quoting Coach Tappmeyer: "It took a little while for us to develop some chemistry but the team is playing very well and bringing a ton of energy to the court. We have some young players who are beginning to grow up and do some really good things. We are playing with a lot of confidence right now. The girls boost each other up when things aren't going well and they believe in one another."

Gameday Notables: UNF is in its final season of the four-year transition into Division I … the Lady Ospreys are 2-3 all-time when playing on Jan. 31 … UNF snapped the program's longest losing streak of 12 games last Thursday with a 62-52 win against Stetson ... this season, the Lady Ospreys are 3-0 when eclipsing the 60-point mark … 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 … seniors Jennifer Bowen and Jennifer Guldager will steer the program once again, having been with the team through every season of the reclassification process.

Promotions: Chick-fil-a Saturday Sermon … all Upwards Basketball teams, youth groups or church congregations receive free tickets when requested in advance … members of Fellowship of Christian Athletes receive free admission with FCA I.D.