University of North Florida
-813, 55 ASun
Jacksonville
-136, 73 ASun
Ospreys Drop Overtime Thriller to JU, 63-62
1/26/2011 10:14:49 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In a game deserving of the rivalry tag, the University of North Florida men's basketball team dropped a hard fought 63-62 decision Wednesday night to cross-town rival Jacksonville in a thriller in front of 3,351 fans in UNF Arena.
UNF (8-13, 5-5 A-Sun) saw their three-game win streak snapped when JU's (13-6, 7-3) Delwan Graham converted a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining in the overtime period.
Parker Smith hit five three-pointers en route to scoring a team-leading 15 points. Jimmy Williams finished with 13 followed by Andy Diaz with 12 and Jerron Granberry with 11. David Jeune pulled down a team best eight rebounds along with scoring nine points.
Graham led the way for JU with 15 points and 13 rebounds including seven on the offensive end. Jacksonville also got 14 points from Ayron Hardy and 13 by Travis Cohn.
Neither team shot the ball with any consistency. UNF finished at 40 percent (20-50) for the game while JU mustered just a 38.5 percent (25-65) performance. The Ospreys did make eight three-pointers and held the Dolphins to just 2-of-10 but the free throw line was a struggle on both sides as UNF was 14-28 (50 percent) and JU made just 11 of 26 (42.3 percent).
The Dolphins did post a 49-36 rebounding advantage and turned 24 offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points.
“Tonight was an extremely physical and demanding game,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “Both teams played hard but the difference in the game was free throws and second chance shots. I was proud of the way our guys battled all night, but we have got to find a way to finish a game against the top teams in our league. This was another opportunity that we let slip through our grasp, but I know our guys will regroup and get back to work in preparation for our next game.”
In front of a boisterous crowd, the two squads took turns with the lead early in the game. The Ospreys used a 6-0 spurt midway through the half to build a 19-12 advantage after a Smith three at the 7:06 mark.
The Dolphins trimmed the deficit to three but got no closer in the opening frame as UNF carried a 26-20 lead into the halftime break. Both defenses were tough as the Ospreys shot only 34 percent from the floor while limiting JU to just 32 percent shooting.
A three-pointer from Granberry to open the second half quickly got the crowd energized. The Ospreys kept a lead until a 10-2 surge in the middle of the period allowed the Dolphins to knot the score at 42-42 with 10:22 remaining.
UNF answered with a layup from Diaz and a trey by Smith to push the lead back to five only to see Jacksonville pull to within one. However, another triple from Smith and Diaz jumper gave the Ospreys a 52-46 edge with 4:53 to play.
JU closed the deficit with a 7-0 run and retook the lead, 53-52, with 2:27 on the clock. The lead changed hands each of the next three possessions as each team made big play after big play. Williams hit a three with 1:32 left giving UNF a two-point lead that was quickly erased by a Hardy layup at the 1:00 mark.
After holding UNF scoreless on their final possession, Keion Palmer stepped to the free throw line with one second left but missed a pair of free throws for JU sending the game into overtime.
In the extra session, the intensity remained high with three lead changes and three ties. The Ospreys had several opportunities to seize the momentum but a 3-for-10 performance from the free throw line in overtime proved costly. After JU squandered a chance for a win from the line in regulation, Graham converted the Dolphins only two attempts from the charity stripe with less than a second left to secure the one-point victory.
North Florida continues its four-game home stand and begins the second half of it's A-Sun schedule Saturday versus Campbell at 7 p.m.
