University of North Florida
ETSU
UNF Rally Falls Short Against ETSU
1/13/2011 9:38:07 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The University of North Florida men's basketball team mounted a spirited second half charge that fell just short in a tough 66-61 loss to ETSU Thursday night in UNF Arena.
The Ospreys (5-12, 2-4 A-Sun), who were seeking their first win over ETSU (11-7, 6-1), fell behind early but roared back in the second half setting up a frantic final minutes. UNF outscored the Bucs 41-32 in the closing period but a late spurt in the final minutes by ETSU proved to be the difference in the game.
“I was really pleased with how much passion our guys competed with in the second half,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “We dug ourselves a hole but the guys made things happen on the defensive end in the second half that gave us a chance. We are still looking to play a complete 40 minutes and that is something we have to figure out as a group. Our margin for error is pretty small so we have to have guys make plays in crunch time. We just weren't able to make the plays, but give ETSU credit because they made free throws and some shots down the stretch.”
Jimmy Williams led a trio of UNF players in double digits finishing with 11 points including a pair of key three-point plays during the Osprey rally. Matt Sauey scored 10 points in his best performance since returning from an ankle injury and Jerron Granberry added 10.
Mike Smith and Micah Williams both scored 19 points to lead the Bucs. Isiah Brown finished with a 10 point, 12 rebound double-double.
UNF struggled offensively in the opening minutes falling behind 9-0 while failing to score during the first three and half minutes. The Ospreys continued to battle and eventually closed the deficit to just two, 15-13, following a pair of free throws by Granberry with 11:29 left in the period.
The Bucs responded with a 19-7 run to close the half and take a 34-20 lead into the half. The Ospreys shot just 29 percent (7-24) from the floor and saw 10 turnovers turned into 19 points. ETSU finished the half shooting 50 percent (14-28) from the field.
The Ospreys soared out of the break using an 18-5 run over the first 10 minutes of the second half to trim the deficit to one at 39-38. David Jeune scored six points in the surge showing an increased aggressiveness around the basket.
ETSU pushed its lead back to five behind two straight baskets, but a layup by Jeune and back-to-back old fashioned three-point plays from Williams gave the Ospreys their first lead of the game, 46-45, with 5:56 left in the game.
The game settled into a back-and-forth contest the remainder of the game featuring seven lead changes Neither squad held more than a five point advantage down the stretch.
A rebound dunk by Sauey put the Ospreys up four, 57-53, with 2:15 remaining and forced a timeout for ETSU. The Bucs scored the next seven points to regain a lead they would not relinquish. Granberry pulled UNF to within one, 62-61, hitting a trey with four seconds left but ETSU made four free throws to secure the victory.
UNF concludes its home stand Saturday at 7 p.m. against USC Upstate.
