University of North Florida
1-2
Wyoming
1-2
Ospreys Lasso Cowboys, 76-60
11/18/2010 11:16:57 PM | Men's Basketball
Final Boxscore
LARAMIE, Wyo. – Paced by sophomore Andy Diaz' 23-point, 11 rebound double-double the University of North Florida earned an impressive 76-60 road victory Thursday night over the University of Wyoming at Arena-Auditorium.
The Ospreys (1-2) earned their first win of the season breaking open a closely contested game midway through the second half and outscoring the Cowboys, 44-26, in the closing period.
In addition to Diaz' career high 23 points, UNF also got double digit outings from sophomore Parker Smith and freshman Charles McRoy with 13 points each.
JayDee Luster finished with 13 points in leading Wyoming.
"I was very proud of the fight our guys played with tonight," said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. "One of the big keys for us tonight was getting consecutive stops on the defensive end. This was an awesome win tonight. I thought it was a great team win and everybody did the things they know how to do. We can enjoy this win tonight and then get back to work."
The opening 10 minutes of the game saw both squads struggled to find an offensive flow as Wyoming built a slight 13-11 advantage. Over the next five minutes of play, the Cowboys slowly built a double digit lead on the strength of a 16-8 run.
A Diaz lay-up with 4:31 remaining in the opening stanza seemed to spark the Ospreys, who closed the half on a 13-4 surge. Diaz scored six of his 14 points in the half during the spurt. Smith tied the score at 30 after drilling a three-pointer at the 1:42 mark and then the team's traded buckets in the closing minute until Brian Gibson's jumper with 30 seconds left to play sent the Cowboys into the break with a 34-32 lead.
The game stayed close through the first eight minutes of the second half with Wyoming maintaining a slight lead. The Ospreys knotted the score twice before a rebound putback from Charles McRoy gave UNF its first lead of the game and the season at 53-52 with 11:37 remaining.
Smith drained a three followed by a trey by Jerron Granberry and another from Smith pushing the Ospreys in front by nine at 62-53. UNF kept their foot on the throttle expanding the lead to double digits just minutes later and then cruised to the comfortable victory.
UNF outrebounded a taller Cowboy group, 39-32, and forced 16 turnovers while committing just eight miscues of their own.
North Florida continues its 10-day, four-game swing Saturday at Missouri before heading to Cancun, Mexico for a pair of games Nov. 23-24.
Story in Laramie Boomerang (11-19-10)
