Back on Track: #MBB Tops Hatters, 74-60

Saturday, January 11

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 pm

University of North Florida

10-9, 4-2ASUN

Stetson

3-14, 1-4ASUN

Stetson

North Florida

Photo by: Todd Drexler

1/11/2014 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

Final Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The North Florida basketball team never trailed in a decisive 74-60 over Stetson in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday night in UNF Arena.

The Ospreys (10-9, 4-2 ASun) scored the first seven points of the game and led by double digits for most of the contest in snapping a two-game losing skid. The win allowed the team to reach double-digit wins faster than in any other season of the program's Division I era and also marks the team's best start in league play. It also marked UNF's fourth consecutive win over the Hatters (3-14, 1-4).

Freshman Dallas Moore scored 17 points to lead the Osprey offense, marking his fifth straight double-figure scoring performance. Senior Charles McRoy matched a career-high with 16 points including a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line. Sophomore Beau Beech made a team best four three-pointers and scored 14 points. McRoy also equalled his personal best handing out five of the team's 18 assists in the game.

Kentwan Smith finished with 27 points to lead all scorers in the game.

"This was a great night for our program," said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll, who collected the 40th A-Sun victory of his career. "I am very proud of the things this team has accomplished in reaching 10 wins quicker and opening league play 4-2. I thought the key tonight was our energy and relentlessness defensively and on the glass early in the game. That really set a good tone for the game. We still have to figure out what we need to close out games like we want to but it was a great win. We've played a really challenging stretch of six games in 13 days with just one day of preparation for four of those contests."

Travis Wallace scored the Osprey's opening basket followed by a lay-up and three-pointer from Moore as UNF staked a quick 7-0 lead just over a minute into play. Another trey by Moore at the 15:12 mark pushed the UNF lead to double digits, 12-2. Stetson pulled with five points a few minutes later, but another 8-2 spurt by North Florida again widened the margin to double figures.

UNF would lead by as many as 15 points (32-17) in the first half and carried a 34-23 advantage into the halftime break. The Ospreys hauled down 14 offensive rebounds in the opening period while also forcing 10 turnovers by the Hatters.

A 15-4 surge to open the second half gave the Ospreys command of the game as Stetson could get no closer than 13 points the remainder of the way. Beech drilled a pair of three-pointers and Jalen Nesbitt capped the UNF run with a trey of his own in the decisive run.

After a busy stretch to open Atlantic Sun play, North Florida will get almost a week off from competition before closing out its current home stand against crosstown rival Jacksonville next Friday (Jan. 17) at 7 p.m. The game will be the latest edition of the SunTrust River City Rumble and will televised live on CSS. The Ospreys and Dolphins are currently tied for second place in the Atlantic Sun conference.