University of North Florida
0-1
Notre Dame
1-0
Ospreys Fall To Notre Dame's 3-point Barrage, 86-65, In Season Opener
11/14/2009 7:22:43 PM | Men's Basketball
North Florida home opener set for Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.
FULL GAME BOOK, INCLUDING FINAL BOX SCORE
NOTRE DAME,
The Ospreys out-scored the Irish by 10 points in the second half but the game was decided early as Notre Dame went on a long-range shooting barrage in the first half. The Irish shot 61 percent from the field and 62 percent from 3-point range in the first half, connecting on eight 3-pointers on just 13 attempts. Notre Dame only made six baskets inside the arc in the first half but led 47-16 at the break.
The
First-year head coach Matthew Driscoll used 11 Ospreys on the day, with all 11 playing in the first half. Ten of the 11 scored in the game as the coaching staff is still in the process of finding the best combination of players to use. Ten of the 11 players played 14 minutes or more.
Senior guard Stan Januska led UNF with 14 points, all in the second half. He went 4-5 from 3-point range. Freshman guard Jerron Granberry and freshman forward Andy Diaz each scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Nine North Florida players grabbed rebounds as UNF battled the bigger Irish fairly well on the glass, only getting out-rebounded by seven (29-22). The Ospreys also out-scored Notre Dame in the paint 28-24. UNF also did a good job of not turning the ball over with 12 in the game, and only three in the second half. Notre Dame had 11 turnovers.
Junior guard Brad Haugabrook led UNF with four rebounds and four different Ospreys led the way in assists with three each. Freshman guard Will Wilson had a game-high five steals and sophomore forward Matt Sauey had the only block for UNF.
Notre Dame didn't slow down much from 3-point range in the second half, hitting six more and finishing 14-25 from behind the arc (56 percent). Half of the Irish's field goals were 3-pointers as they went 28-50 for the game from the field (56 precent). Harangody and guard Ben Hansbrough led Notre Dame with 19 points each. Hansbrough went 5-5 from 3-point range. Tory Jackson had a game-high seven assists.
After shooting just 29 percent from the field in the first half,
North Florida now returns to
A season ticket for basketball is $120 and includes all men's and women's home games, a total of 28 games on 19 event dates, including nine Atlantic Sun Conference double headers. A special rate is available for UNF Alumni ($110) and UNF Faculty and Staff ($105). A Family 4-pack is also available for the season at $360. Select seating areas require an Osprey Club membership (per seat donation).
Single-game pricing is $10 for adults and $8 for youth 17-and-under and senior citizens 55-and-older. Children 2-and-under and any current UNF student with a valid Osprey1 Card are admitted free. Student guest passes are $5 and limited to one per student.
For more information or to purchase basketball season tickets call 904-620-BIRD (2473) or email ospreytickets@unf.edu.
On what impressed him about this Notre Dame team…
“When Notre Dame went on that 10-0 run in the first half, and obviously when they were making 3-pointers like that, it's tough to get up and stay up with anybody and win,” said Driscoll. “That is disappointing on my part and on our part - that we did not take away those 3's like we needed to. I give Notre Dame credit for that. Any time you score 28 buckets and you have 21 assists that means that your team is playing as a team, and I thought Notre Dame did a great job of sharing the sugar and getting the ball to the right guy in order to make shots.”
On what Notre Dame did to space the floor and to get open shots…
“Notre Dame did a good job of throwing the ball in, reversing it out, and making the extra pass. It is like the old hockey assist they talk about; I bet Notre Dame had about 15 or so of those hockey assists tonight. They were making the extra pass that led to the pass. When you are a good team and when you have seniors and veteran guys who know what they are doing you can hurt teams.”
On how Notre Dame was able to get such a big lead on his team so quickly…
“Yesterday when I stopped and said prayers on the campus of Notre Dame, I was saying a prayer and sniffling. Some young woman put her hands on my shoulders because she thought I crying. I was kind of wishing that she was going to come back and put her hands back on my shoulders early on in the game. It is hard when you are down by 30 to go into the locker room and come out with some sort of a 30-point game plan, especially with the way Notre Dame was playing.”
On how his team can learn from this loss…
“Hopefully this is one of those learning points from film we can use to get better. However, I do not like learning from losing. I do not think that is a great way to learn. I would rather learn from winning.”
POST-GAME NOTES
- This was the second all-time meeting between the schools, with Notre Dame winning both games. The Irish also defeated UNF 77-58 on Dec. 31, 2007. Former
- The game was the Division I debut for new
- Eleven Ospreys saw action in the game, including five making their Division I debut's.
- Ten UNF players scored.
- North Florida now returns to
- The five newcomers (four freshmen and one junior college transfer) accounted for 40 of the team's 65 points. The four freshmen scored 36 of the 65 points.
