Osprey Rally Falls Short in ASun Tourney Opener

Thursday, March 1

Macon, Ga.

2:30 pm

University of North Florida

16-16 (10-8ASun)

ETSU

17-13 (10-8ASun)

North Florida

East Tennessee State

3/1/2012 6:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book

MACON, Ga. -- The North Florida basketball team battled to the final horn but saw their chance to advance in the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Tournament fall just short with a tough 68-66 loss Thursday afternoon to ETSU in the opening round at Mercer's University Center.

The fifth-seeded Ospreys (16-16), who led early and trailed by only three at the half, had a chance to tie or win the game on their final possession but the game-winning shot came up shy at the buzzer allowing fourth-seeded ETSU (17-13) to escape with their third win of the year against UNF.

Parker Smith scored 17 points to lead a trio of Ospreys in double digits as Jerron Granberry finished with 12 and Jimmy Williams added 10. Smith made five three-pointers in the contest but struggled along with Granberry from long distance going a combined 7-for-26 against an tall and athletic ETSU lineup.

Isiah Brown led the way for the Bucs finishing with 22 points while Tommy Hubbard notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

"This is definitely a disappointing way to end the year," said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. "We did some great things as a program this season, but this was a tough loss. I'm proud of where our program is and also the direction in which we continue to grow. We had a tough night shooting and struggled to get many points in the paint but we have to give credit to ETSU for their defense. I also was extremely proud of how our guys continued to fight. We kept battling and gave ourselves chance at the end and that's all we can ask for."

After the two squads traded buckets through the first several possessions, North Florida made the first move using an 11-1 surge to build a 19-9 lead with 12:50 left in the first half. The Ospreys maintained a lead for the next five minutes until a layup by Brown capping a 14-3 run saw the Bucs earn their first lead of the night, 23-22.

The Ospreys answered with back-to-back treys from Smith and Granberry to regain the lead, but ETSU responded with a 13-2 spurt to take a 37-30 advantage with just under four minutes left in the period. Williams connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer to send UNF into the break down by only three, 41-38.

North Florida earned a pair of ties in the second half, however, the Ospreys were unable to get over the hump as ETSU held a slim lead for the entire period. With the Bucs up seven, 66-59, and only 4:33 remaining. UNF mounted a final charge. Granberry drilled a trey to make the margin two then Smith hit a jumper with 25 ticks left following a layup by Marcus Dubose. Dubose then missed a free throw allowing UNF to set-up a final possession.

UNF moved the ball around the perimeter and as the clock wound down, Smith launched a game-winning try over an outstretched ETSU defender that came up just short as the buzzer sounded. The Bucs advance to face top-seeded Belmont in a Friday semifinal match-up.

North Florida finished the season with a program record 16 overall wins and 10 victories in the Atlantic Sun. UNF also recorded a program Division I best 11 home wins. The Ospreys also finished the regular season tied for fourth in the conference standings marking their best ever finish.