Ospreys Defeat Kennesaw State 66-60 In A-Sun Home Opener

Saturday, January 2

UNF Arena

7 p.m.

University of North Florida

6-7, 1-2ASun

Kennesaw State

5-8, 1-2ASun

Kennesaw State

North Florida

Haugabrook leads UNF with 17 points and six assists

1/2/2010 9:55:11 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Win runs UNF's Winning Streak To Five Games

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior guard Brad Haugabrook tallied 17 points, including two crucial free throws with 37 seconds remaining to push a three-point lead to five, as North Florida defeated Kennesaw State 66-60 in the Atlantic Sun Conference home opener for the Ospreys on Saturday, Jan. 2, at UNF Arena.

It was the fifth straight win for the Ospreys as they improved to 6-7 overall and 1-2 in Atlantic Sun play. It is UNF's first five-game winning streak since early in the 2003-04 season, and the third longest in school history. Kennesaw State fell to 5-8 and 1-2 in league play.

After a Kennesaw State basket cut North Florida's lead to 63-60 with 2:13 remaining, the UNF defense tightened up and held the Owls scoreless for the rest of the game. Still clinging to its three-point lead, sophomore forward Matt Sauey grabbed a huge defensive rebound and found Haugabrook who was fouled. Haugabrook, who was 9-10 from the line in the game, calmly stepped to the charity stripe and nailed both free throws to give UNF a 65-60 advantage as the Ospreys held on for the victory.

“It was a very, very hard fought game,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “I really thought our guys came out in the second half defensively and set a tone. They really guarded well after the first half. For some reason we had a lot of nerves early, I really thought it showed with the way they got some easy shots and some easy plays. We weren't as aggressive as we planned on being and they took advantage of it. They made some really, really good shots. In the second half, we regrouped, we talked about what we were doing and where we were supposed to be and I thought our guys responded well. Again, anytime you have 15 assists on 22 made buckets, that's huge. There were a bunch of big time plays along the way that you could say were the play of the game. We made some plays down the stretch that were huge. The one thing about our guys is that we had some possessions where we missed some shots, but they went down and they didn't score because our guys understand that with guarding and defending you'll win. Credit our guys for coming out in the second half and doing what they're supposed to be doing. A lot of kudos to go around, everybody did a lot of great things.”

The Ospreys remain home on Monday, Jan. 4, when they host Mercer in a 7:45 p.m. game at UNF Arena. Monday's game is part of a doubleheader with the UNF women's team, with the women facing Mercer at 5:30 p.m. The men's game can be heard on AM 1320 WBOB and 103.7 FM in Jacksonville or on-line at 1320WBOB.com. The men's and the women's game can also be seen on www.ASun.TV.

The first half was close throughout with UNF owning the largest lead of the half at 10 at the 8:15 mark. The Owls battled back and took a 37-35 lead with 14.3 seconds left but an Eni Cuka 3-pointer gave UNF a 38-37 lead at the break.

Sauey and Haugabrook led the Ospreys with 10 points each at the half. Kennesaw State shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half while North Florida shot 48.1 percent.

The second half was a tight affair throughout with the largest lead being seven for UNF, while Kennesaw's largest lead was four.

In additon to Haugabrook, three other Ospreys scored in double figures with Sauey posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was UNF's first double-double of the year. Senior guard Eni Cuka had 11 points and freshman forward Andy Diaz 10. Haugabrook also added six assists.

North Florida shot 46.8 percent (22-47) from the field, while Kennesaw State shot 46.3 percent (25-54). The Ospreys shot 23.5 percent (4-17) from behind the arc and 69.2 percent (18-26) from the free throw line. The Owls shot 40.0 percent (6-15) from 3-point range and 57.1 percent (4-7) from the line. Markeith Cummings led Kennesaw with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Single-game tickets for basketball games are $10 for adults and $8 for youth 17-and-under and senior citizens 55-and-older. One ticket will admit you to both the 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. games on those days. Children 2-and-under and any current UNF student with a valid Osprey1 Card are admitted free. Student guest passes for those events are $5 and limited to one per student. If you are unable to attend the games they can be seen on ASun.tv.