University of North Florida
4-4, 1-1ASun
Stetson
3-4, 1-1ASun
Ospreys Fall to Stetson, 74-64
12/4/2010 9:48:29 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A strong push over the final five minutes allowed Stetson to escape UNF Arena Saturday night with a 74-64 victory over the North Florida men's basketball team in Atlantic Sun Conference action.
UNF (4-4, 1-1 Atlantic Sun) and Stetson (3-4, 1-1) battled through 10 times and seven lead changes before the Hatters scored 25 points in the final six minutes to seize control of the contest. Stetson scored 47 points in the second half after tallying only 27 in the first half.
The Hatters shot a smoldering 54.3 percent (25-46) from the floor in the game including an 8-for-18 performance (44 percent) from the beyond the three-point line. UNF shot 44 percent from the floor for the night.
Parker Smith scored 13 points off the bench to pace the Ospreys while Brad Haugabrook finished with 11. Jimmy Williams and Andy Diaz each pulled down seven rebounds in leading UNF to a 32-25 edge in rebounding.
Aaron Graham led the Hatters with 20 points becoming the first UNF opponent to reach that mark this season. Ridge Graham finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Corey Walden also chipped in 15 points for SU in the win.
“Obviously, this was not the result we wanted,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “I'm not sure of the reason but I really thought they had more energy and played like they wanted it more than us tonight. They seemed to make every 50-50 play and that hurt us down the stretch. We have got to get better on the defensive end.”
The Ospreys raced out to a quick lead scoring the first seven points of the contest while holding Stetson scoreless over the opening four minutes. Back-to-back baskets for the Hatters trimmed the deficit to two and from there the lead was never larger than three points until the closing minute of the opening stanza.
The squads' back-and-forth battle throughout the first period featured seven ties and six lead changes. Eight straight points for UNF including a free throw from Jerron Granberry, baskets by Haugabrook and Williams and a three-pointer by Smith gave them a 30-25 lead with 28 seconds remaining.
However, the Hatters got a basket at the buzzer to make the halftime score, 30-27 in favor of North Florida.
Stetson carried the momentum into the second half using a 14-4 run to take a 41-34 advantage with 13:59 left to play. Consecutive buckets from Haugabrook, Matt Sauey and Smith trimmed the UNF deficit to one and a deep trey by Smith at the 8:53 mark knotted the score at 45.
The score was tied for the final time at 49-49 with 6:18 remaining before a 7-2 spurt by the Hatters gave them the lead for good. Stetson eventually pushed its lead to double figures en route to snapping UNF's three-game win streak.
Following a week off from competition for the players' to take final semester exams in the classroom, UNF returns to the hardwood for a pair of tough tests on the court with games at No. 10 Purdue (Dec. 11) and No. 20 Texas (Dec. 14).
