Haugabrook’s Career High 11 Assists Lead UNF Past Kennesaw State, 66-60

Saturday, February 20

Kennesaw, Ga.

7:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

13-15, 8-10ASun

Kennesaw State

12-17, 7-11ASun

North Florida

Kennesaw State

Haugabrook dishes out career high 11 assists in win

Haugabrook’s Career High 11 Assists Lead UNF Past Kennesaw State, 66-60

2/20/2010 10:31:05 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Freshman Andy Diaz posts double-double with 13 points and career high 12 rebounds

Box Score

KENNESAW, Ga. – Junior guard Brad Haugabrook dished out a career-high 11 assists and North Florida made nine of 10 free throws in the last 1:05 of the game to hold off Kennesaw State 66-60 on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the KSU Convocation Center.

UNF also got a big game from freshman forward Andy Diaz who notched 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. It was his second double-double in the past three games.

The win moved the Ospreys into sole possession of seventh place in the conference, a game ahead of Kennesaw with just two games remaining. North Florida improved to 13-15 overall and 8-10 in Atlantic Sun Conference play, while Kennesaw fell to 12-17 and 7-11 in league action.

If UNF and Kennesaw end the season tied the Ospreys would earn the seventh seed in the upcoming General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships, March 3-6, in Macon, Ga., by having beaten the Owls both times this season. One UNF win in its final two games or one Kennesaw loss in its last two games would clinch the seventh seed for the Ospreys.

The winner of A-Sun Championship earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament. This is the first year that UNF is eligible for the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament after finishing its four-year reclassification period last year.

“We really came out in the second half and did what we needed to do,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “And we really defended in the second half. I told the team at halftime it was going to come down to rebounding and free throws and we did a great job hitting our free throws down the stretch. I'm really proud of our guys with their performance tonight. Now we've got two big games coming up at home so we will head home tonight and get back at it on Monday.”

It was a tight first half with neither team leading by more than four points. The Ospreys led 27-23 before the Owls notched the final four points of the half as the teams went into the locker room tied at 27. Senior guard Eni Cuka led UNF with nine first half points.

The start of the second half was a back-and-forth affair and the teams remained tied at 34 at the 15:37 mark. A 3-pointer by senior guard Stan Januska gave UNF the lead for good and ignited a 7-0 run as the Ospreys went up 41-34 with 12:43 to play.

The North Florida lead was four (47-43) with 9:15 remaining before a 6-0 run gave the Ospreys its first double-digit lead of the game at 53-43 with 6:03 to go. The UNF defense also buckled down and held Kennesaw without a point for almost six minutes (from 9:15 to 3:36) before the Owls finally scored.

Kennesaw chopped the lead to five at 57-52 with just 1:10 left but UNF's nine of 10 free throws down the stretch sealed the victory. Senior guard Germaine Sparkes his five of the nine free throws, freshman guard Jerron Granberry two and Haugabrook two.

Cuka led UNF with 14 points and freshman forward David Jeune chipped in 10 points off the bench.

North Florida shot 42 percent from the field, 29 percent from behind the arc and 79 percent from the free throw line. The Owls also shot 42 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 73 percent from the line.

Markeith Cummings and Spencer Dixon each had 16 points for Kennesaw.

UNF now returns home for its final two regular season games of the season, facing East Tennessee State on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7:45 p.m. and Campbell on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. Both games are at UNF Arena and are the second game of a doubleheader with the Osprey women.

Single-game tickets for basketball games are $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 for those events are $5 and limited to one per student.