University of North Florida
-712, 44 ASun
Kennesaw State
-513, 35 ASun
Ospreys Soar Past Owls, 71-56
1/20/2011 10:34:08 PM | Men's Basketball
Final Box
KENNESAW, Ga. – Sophomore Andy Diaz scored 21 points including 15 in the second half to lead the University of North Florida men's basketball team to a 71-56 victory Thursday night over Kennesaw State in the KSU Convocation Center.
UNF (7-12, 4-4 A-Sun) picked up its third consecutive victory over KSU (5-13, 3-5) while also winning back-to-back games for just the second time this season. The Ospreys outscored the Owls 37-23 in the second half and held them to just 34 percent shooting in the half and a 1-for-15 performance from the 3-point line for the game.
For Diaz it marked the second time this season that he eclipsed the 20-point mark and left him just two points shy of his career high. He also shared the team lead with five rebounds to go along with three blocks, four steals and a pair of assists.
Fellow sophomores Jerron Granberry and Parker Smith also notched double digits finishing with 19 and 11 respectively. The duo combined to go 7-for-15 from the three-point line and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Matt Sauey continued his solid play scoring nine points and pulling down five boards.
Markeith Cummings finished with 20 points to pace the Owls.
“I was really proud of the contributions we got from so many guys tonight,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “We did a great job of sharing the ball and I thought our ability to guard on the perimeter as well as limit their second chances in the second half was the real difference. We are really playing as a team right now and I like the way our guys are competing and battling every night.”
The first half featured a frenetic up-and-down pace with both teams putting together mini-runs. Granberry paced the Ospreys early scoring the team's first eight points as the two squads bantered the lead back-and-forth.
UNF's defense sparked the first run of the game holding Kennesaw State scoreless for nearly four minutes while opening up a 17-10 lead with 11:43 left in the period. Minutes later, the Owls returned the favor using an 8-0 spurt to knot the score at 20 with 7:06 remaining.
Sauey collected a pair of putback baskets in a six point surge for UNF which KSU answered with another 8-0 run to regain the lead 28-26 at the 3:20 mark. Granberry quickly put the Ospreys back in front with his third trey of the half followed by a thunderous fastbreak dunk for Sauey.
UNF maintained its slight advantage into the break holding a 34-33 lead at halftime.
The Ospreys soared out of the break using a 13-2 run in the opening five minutes of the second half to build a double-digit, 47-35, advantage. Brad Haugabroook was a catalyst in the rally scoring six of the points while also handing out three of his game high seven assists in the stretch.
Back-to-back three pointers by Granberry and Smith gave UNF its largest lead, 59-44, with 7:24 left in the game. The Ospreys maintained a double figure advantage for a good portion of the second half however a pair of old-fashioned three point plays from Cummings pulled the Owls within nine at the 3:41 mark.
UNF forced four turnovers and made six of eight free throws over the closing minutes to secure their first road conference win since holding off Campbell at the start of January.
For the game, North Florida shot 54 percent from the floor including going 13-20 (65 percent) in the second half. The Ospreys handed out 17 assists for the game and out-rebounded KSU, 32-25.
North Florida concludes its swing through Georgia with a game Saturday at Mercer at 4:30 p.m.
