Road Kill: #MBB Wins At Lipscomb to Extend Streak

Saturday, January 4

Nashville, Tenn.

4 pm (CT)

University of North Florida

-97, 30 ASun

Lipscomb

-59, 03 ASun

Team	1	2	F
North Florida	38	40	78
Lipscomb	37	36	73

1/4/2014 8:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

Final Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book
Video Highlights
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics (Mike Strasinger)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Demarcus Daniels made four free throws and grabbed a pair of rebounds in the final 30 seconds as the North Florida basketball team outlast Lipscomb for a 78-73 road victory in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

The win kept the Ospreys (9-7, 3-0 ASun) undefeated and atop the league standings while extending the squad's current win streak to four games. It also marked UNF's sixth consecutive win in the all-time series with Lipscomb (5-9, 0-3), who suffered their third straight loss in their home conference opener.

Sophomore Beau Beech drilled five three-pointers on his way to a season best 19 points to lead the Ospreys. Senior Travis Wallace added 17 points and team-best eight rebounds while freshman Dallas Moore scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half.

As a team, UNF had more turnovers (26) than made baskets (24) but overcame their miscues by winning the battle on the boards, 45-31, and making 21 of 30 free throws (70 percent).

Martin Smith finished with 20 points to lead a quartet of Bisons in double digits. Malcolm Smith added 18 poinnts and seven rebounds in the loss.

"All year long the one word that has described this group has been resilient and we were that again tonight," said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. "We were able to overcome a ton of turnovers with a strong rebounding performance and the focus to hit big free throws down the stretch. Give our guys credit for stepping up with the key defensive stops we needed and also making the game deciding plays. This was a great victory."

The first half was a back-and-forth affair highlighted by seven ties and 12 lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points until Jalen Nesbitt hit a three-pointer with 5:28 left in the period to give UNF a 33-28 advantage. Lipscomb rallied to tie the score at 37 before a Nesbitt free throw in the closing seconds allowed Ospreys to hold a slim 38-37 lead at the break.

After the Bisons opened the second half with a jumper to retake the lead by one, Moore got his solid second half started with three free throws after being fouled on a long distance attempt. He followed that with a made trey allowing Ospreys to open up a slight lead.

Things stayed close for the next several minutes before North Florida made a surge behind a 12-0 run beginning with just over six minutes to play. Beech got things started with a pair of free throws that knotted the score at 58-58. Moore hit a three followed by a layup and an old-fashioned three-point play by Wallace. Charles McRoy capped the run with a jumper, giving UNF a 68-58 lead with 3:05 left.

A thunderous dunk from McRoy and free throw from Chris Davenport pushed the Osprey lead to 11 (71-60) before a furious 10-0 spurt by the Bisons trimmed the margin to one with 1:21 showing on the clock. Lipscomb was aided in their rally by four consecutive UNF turnovers.

From that point, UNF pulled down several key defensive rebounds and made enough free throws in the final minute to secure the impressive conference road win.

North Florida concludes its A-Sun road trip Monday against Northern Kentucky in Highland Heights, Ky.