University of North Florida
11-18, 8-10ASun
Kennesaw State
8-20, 6-12ASun
Ospreys Outlast Owls in Triple-Overtime Thriller, 90-88
2/20/2011 7:30:07 PM | Men's Basketball
Boxscore
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In the longest game in North Florida men's basketball history, the Ospreys overcame deficits in the second half and the first two overtime sessions to secure a 90-88 win over Kennesaw State in a triple-overtime thriller Sunday afternoon at UNF Arena.
The Ospreys (11-18, 8-10 A-Sun) snapped a two-game losing skid and closed out the home portion of their 2010-11 schedule with the win in the first multi-overtime game in UNF program history. It also gave UNF a season sweep over Kennesaw State (8-20, 6-12) for the second consecutive season.
In addition, the Ospreys have matched the program record for A-Sun victories in a season set last year.
Jerron Granberry scored a career-best 28 points to lead the Ospreys. The sophomore guard went 12-for-13 from the free throw line and drilled four three-pointers including one falling out of bounds at the buzzer during the second overtime period forcing the third extra session.
Fellow sophomore David Jeune collected the first double-double of his career finishing with a season best 10 points along with a career-best 11 rebounds. Parker Smith had 15 points and Jimmy Williams added 13. In his final home game, senior Brad Haugabrook finished with eight points including a pair of baskets in the final overtime and dished out a team-leading five assists.
Markeith Cummings, the A-Sun's leading scorer, tallied 27 points to pace the Owls attack while LaDaris Green posted a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double in the loss.
“I am so proud of our guys and the way they fought their tails off today,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll, who earned the 50th win of his collegiate coaching career in the victory. “Games like this come down to a battle of wills and I thought both teams refused to quit. I just think our guys wanted it a little more after having seen our share of games slip through our fingers in the closing seconds. This was a great win for our team and something we can hopefully build on as we head into the final week of the regular season.”
The Ospreys soared out of the gate taking a 9-5 lead in the first three minutes. The Owls responded with a 10-2 run of their own building a 15-11 advantage with 13:51 left in the opening half.
A 15-4 spurt over the next five minutes of play allowed UNF to push back in front by their largest margin of the half, 26-19, with 8:39 on the clock. Granberry, who scored 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game, started the run with three free throws followed by a basket from Andy Diaz and trey by Parker Smith. Jimmy Williams and Matt Sauey also scored during the spurt.
UNF maintained a lead more much of the remainder of the half but a late 10-3 surge by the Owls over the closing five minutes sent the squads into the half knotted at 37-37. Both teams shot well from the floor as KSU connected at a 48 percent pace (15-31) and UNF shot 50 percent (12-24). The Owls hit five three-pointers in the opening stanza.
Coming out of the break, the game settled into a defensive battle with both teams mustering just two baskets apiece over the first five minutes of action. Cummings then mounted a 9-2 run of his own to put the Owls in front by seven with just over 12 minutes left in the contest.
Diaz scored twice quickly for UNF, but Kennesaw continued to control the momentum upping their advantage to double-digits, 57-47, with 7:21 remaining in the game. Smith connected on his second trifecta to end a seven-point spurt by the Owls.
With KSU holding a 10-point lead, 64-54, following a trey from Matt Heramb with 4:50 left, North Florida mounted a final charge on the shoulders of Granberry, Smith and Jeune. UNF closed the game on a 13-3 run that evened the score at 67-67 to end regulation.
Jeune opened the run with two straight buckets followed by back-to-back treys from Granberry and Smith. Granberry converted a pair of free throws giving UNF a short-lived, 66-65, lead that Spencer Dixon erased with a driving layup on Kennesaw's next possession. With 36 seconds left, Smith knotted the score making one of two free throws and KSU's game winning shot came up short.
The first overtime featured sluggish play from both squads as the team combined for just 12 points scored. Williams and Granberry drained triples for the Ospreys only points and Granberry nearly ended the game in the first session but his free-throw line jumper at the buzzer rimmed out.
The Owls led the entire second overtime period and held a three-point advantage, 81-78, with 18 seconds remaining. UNF missed two three-point attempts in the final seconds but retrieved both rebounds with Jeune finding Granberry for his game-tying shot from the deep left corner just before the buzzer.
UNF seized the momentum in the third overtime as Haugabrook drilled back-to-back jumpers giving the Ospreys a four-point edge. The Owls trimmed the deficit to one but Haugabrook drove the lane and found a wide open Sauey in the right corner for a jumper to push the advantage back to three. Kelvin McConnell made two free throws to again pull KSU within one but Smith iced the game with a final free throw and Kennesaw was not able to get off a final shot in the final seconds of play.
North Florida closes the regular season with a pair of in-state road games against Stetson (Thursday) and Florida Gulf Coast (Saturday). The Ospreys need one more victory to secure a spot in the upcoming A-Sun Conference Tournament on Feb. 2-5 in Macon, Ga.
