University of North Florida
-1016, 78 ASun
USC Upstate
-421, 312 ASun
Ospreys Hold Off Spartans, 63-55
2/11/2011 9:27:51 PM | Men's Basketball
Final Box
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Jerron Granberry scored 16 points including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to help the University of North Florida men's basketball team fend off a late charge by USC Upstate in a 63-55 victory Friday night at the Hodge Center.
UNF (10-16, 7-8 Atlantic Sun) built a double-digit lead in the second half before Upstate (4-21, 3-12) mounted a furious comeback that came up just short. The win gives North Florida the season sweep over the Spartans.
Andy Diaz joined Granberry in double digits finishing with 13 point. David Jeune hauled in 10 rebounds for the second time in the last three games leading UNF to a 37-36 advantage on the boards. The Ospreys also enjoyed a 30-15 advantage in free throw attempts.
Mezie Uzochukwu paced the Spartan offense with 16 points while freshman standout Torrey Craig recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.
“I was really proud of our fight tonight,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. “We did a good job of controlling tempo for most of the game and were aggressive going to the basket which allowed us to get to the free throw line. I thought we did a great job defensively in the second half getting stop after stop. It was nice to see the guys make free throws in the closing minute, too.”
The first half was a back-and-forth battle with both teams using scoring runs to grab an advantage. The Ospreys made the first surge building a 13-7 advantage behind a 9-2 spurt at the 11:56 mark. Later in the half, Upstate answered with nine consecutive points taking a five-point lead, 23-18, with just over four minutes left in the stanza.
From their, UNF closed the period on a 7-1 run and held a slim 25-24 halftime advantage. The Ospreys shot 42 percent (11-26) from the floor in the opening half while the Spartans connected at a 47 percent clip (10-21). Diaz and Brad Haugabrook both had six points in the half to lead North Florida while Upstate's Uzochukwu led all players with eight.
UNF roared out of the break using a 15-4 run to seize a 40-28 lead with 14:45 on the clock. Diaz scored six straight points in the rally and Parker Smith added four. An aggressive Osprey defense limited the Spartans to just six points through the first 10 minutes of the second half.
North Florida took its largest lead of the night at 17 points, 51-34, with 7:08 to play, but the Spartans refused to quit answering with a 15-2 rally over the next five minutes closing the deficit to four, 53-49. Uzochukwu collected 10 straight points keying the run.
Granberry converted a free throw to stem the Upstate run and then sparked a 9-for-10 performance from the charity stripe by the Ospreys in the closing minute to secure the victory.
North Florida concludes its weekend road swing Sunday against ETSU at 4 p.m.
