Women's Basketball Downs Flagler, 71-62

Saturday, November 3

Jacksonville, Fla.

12:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

Flagler (Exh.)

Photo by: JC Ridley

11/3/2012 3:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: North Florida Athletics

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior Raneisha Lamar scored a game-high 21 points and the University of North Florida women's basketball team posted a 71-62 win over Flagler at UNF Arena in the Ospreys' only exhibition of the 2012-13 season.

"I was very happy with how we did in the first half, but I was disappointed with our effort and execution in the second half," said head coach Mary Tappmeyer. "We have things that we can take away from this game on both ends of the floor so that we are ready for the start of the regular season."

Balanced scoring helped the Ospreys as all 11 players that saw time on the court hit at least one field goal. Lamar went 9-for-14 from the field and hit all three of her free throws in the game to pace the Ospreys. Jasmine Hicks and Jadhken Kerr each pulled down seven rebounds.

Treva Mason and Jen Knurek led Flagler with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Knurek also grabbed a game-best eight rebounds.

UNF shot 43.3 percent (26-for-60) in the game, while the Saints were 39.3 percent (24-for-61) from the floor. UNF also held a 44-34 edge in rebounds.

The Ospreys had a solid showing in the first half, shooting 48.3 percent and had just about equal points from its starters and its bench. Of UNF's 41 first half points, 20 of them came from the bench.

UNF led by as many as 17 and went up 37-20 with 3:00 to go on a pair of foul shots by Octavia Langston. UNF and Flagler went back and forth in the last bit before a layup by Lamar sent the Ospreys into halftime with a 41-25 lead.

The Ospreys got out to an early 21-point advantage in the second half. Chandler Merkerson sank a three-point shot the lifted UNF to a 50-29 lead.

UNF held several other 20-or-more leads in the half. Up by 16, a layup by Kerr and then two fast-break layups by Langston put UNF up 64-42. The Ospreys' 22-point cushion was its largest of the game. After Flagler brought the Ospreys' lead down to 16 once again, back-to-back layups from Lamar gave UNF a 20-point, 68-48 cushion.

Flagler was able to chip away at the Ospreys' lead and pulled to within nine on a Rachel Brown jumper at 10 seconds.

The Ospreys open their season with a two-game trip to south Florida next weekend. UNF starts the season and the trip at No. 23 Miami on Friday, Nov. 9. Tip off is set for 8 p.m., from the BankUnited Center.