Boxscore (PDF) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In front of a boisterous crowd of 2,377, University of North Florida women's basketball fended off Edward Waters 62-57 on Elementary School Day at UNF Arena on Tuesday.
"It was an awesome crowd today," said head coach
Mary Tappmeyer. "Edward Waters played a very solid game. There's a lot of stuff we can work on and build from, but it is a win."
For the second time in as many games,
Bailey Florin registered a scoring career-high, tallying 19 points. In the Ospreys' season-opener Florin had 16 points.
Meanwhile,
Caitlyn Spane recorded a 14-point, 10 rebound double-double. It is the second-straight game in which an Osprey has tallied a double-double.
"Bailey had another outstanding game and Caitlyn did a great job on the offensive glass," said Tappmeyer.
UNF shot 36.1 percent (22-for-61) for the game and had a 46-36 advantage in rebounds.
Amber Antoine paced Edward Waters with 19 points, while Natasha Ballard had an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. Britany Rowell added 17 points.
Edward Waters shot 37.3 percent (22-for-59) from the floor.
Trailing by four in the first half, a 10-2 run lifted UNF to a 24-20 lead at 7:07. A foul shot from
Flo Ward sparked the Ospreys' run, which included two Florin three-pointers and one trey from Spane. UNF continued to increase its lead and took an eight-point 30-22 lead on a jumper from
Amber Robinson with 4:43 left. Both teams traded buckets in the final 3:05 as UNF carried a 34-28 lead into halftime.
Edward Waters began the second half strong, forcing three ties, including at 38-38 on a Ballard jumper with 15:34 to go. UNF answered with an eight-point run as a Florin jumper put the Ospreys up 46-38 at 12:44. After five Edward Waters points from Antoine, the Ospreys used a 7-0 to push their lead to 10, going up 53-43 on a Florin try at 8:38.
The Tigers chipped away at UNF's lead and pulled to within one on a Ballard jumper at 1:55 to make it 55-54. However, UNF outscored Edward Waters 8-3 in the final 1:35 to seal the win.
UNF begins a six-game road swing this Friday when the Ospreys visit Miami. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., at the BankUnited Center.
