Ospreys Fall to Kansas State in OT, 79-68

Sunday, December 11

Manhattan, Kan.

1 pm (CT)

University of North Florida

5-5

Kansas State

6-1

OT 1

North Florida

Kansas State

12/11/2011 5:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Final Boxscore (PDF)
Game Book

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- North Florida saw a second-half lead slip away in the closing seconds as Kansas State rallied for a 79-68 overtime victory Sunday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum.

Jimmy Williams and Parker Smith finished with 13 points each to lead the Ospreys (5-5), while Thomas Gipson posted 23 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Wildcats (6-1).

The loss snapped a four-game win streak for the Ospreys who also slipped to 0-5 on the road this season. The two teams met last year with KSU earning a 100-77 victory.

“I was proud of the effort we played with today,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “However, we don't believe in moral victories. Our plan and belief was that we would win the game today but we let it slip away. I probably should have done a few different things down the stretch in regulation so the blame is on me. We knew that Kansas State was going to turn up the pressure on us and we didn't handle it well. We can't expect to win a road game against a quality opponent with 21 turnovers. We did some good things but learned today that one mental let down can be the difference in a game.”

The Ospreys struggled offensively early in the game falling behind 12-4 in the opening minutes. UNF battled back using a 7-2 surge to trim the deficit to just three points, 14-11, following a pair of free throws by Travis Wallace.

The Wildcats answered with an 8-2 spurt to regain the lead, but UNF again fought back pulling to within three, 26-23. K-State got six straight points from Adrian Diaz, the younger brother of UNF's Andy Diaz, and carried a 32-25 lead into the halftime break.

UNF scored the first six points of the second half to close within one, 32-31, as Charles McRoy scored back-to-back baskets followed by a layup from Will Wilson. After Gipson pushed the Wildcats back in front by five scoring six of the next eight points, North Florida used a 10-0 spurt to take their first lead of the game, 43-38, with 10:30 remaining.

Smith dropped in a pair of threes during the run and Williams added a driving layup and a thunderous dunk off a steal. Following a pair of KSU free throws, Jerron Granberry drilled back-to-back treys to give the Ospreys a game best nine-point edge, 49-40, at the 8:36 mark.

KSU chipped away at the UNF lead using a 9-2 run over the next two minutes to get within two, 51-49. The Ospreys maintained an advantage until a pair of free throws for Jamar Samuels put K-State in front, 57-55.

A layup by Willams allowed UNF to regain the lead by one, 58-57, with 1:43 left. The Ospreys made one strong defensive stand but turned the ball back over to KSU with 49 seconds on the clock. KSU's Will Spralding hit a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to put the Wildcats in front and set up UNF's final frantic possession.

Again Williams made the big play, dropping in a layup with two seconds on the clock to tie the score at 60 and force an extra session. In overtime. KSU outscored UNF 19-8 including making 11-of-12 free throws to secure the win.

For the game, UNF held the Wildcats to 39 percent shooting from floor including a 2-15 (13 percent) performance from the three-point line. KSU did force 21 Osprey turnovers, blocked 11 shots and held a 50-36 edge in rebounding sparked by 25 offensive boards. North Florida created 19 KSU miscues and also hit seven three-pointers in the game.

In addition to Smith and Williams, UNF also got 12 points from Travis Wallace.

North Florida continues its road trek with three games in five days beginning Dec. 17 at Auburn followed by games at Virginia Tech (Dec. 19) and Florida A&M (Dec. 21).

The Diaz Family reunites prior to start of UNF-KSU game... Andy (2nd from left) met younger brother Adiran (2nd from right) in a game for the first time in front of a large group of family members including parents - Juliana & Andres and older brother Eric (pictured)