Boxscore (pdf)
Game BookCANCUN, Mexico -- The North Florida basketball got started quickly and finished with a flurry in topping Liberty, 77-57, on Tuesday afternoon to advance to the Mayan Division Championship game in the Triple Crown Sports Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
The Ospreys (2-3) raced out to a 16-2 advantage on the Flames (2-3) through the first five minutes of the game and then secured the victory with a closing 19-8 run. The win puts UNF into the title game at the Cancun Challenge for the second time in program history having claimed the 2010 championship at the event. UNF will meet Elon on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the title game.
Dallas Moore led the way for UNF finishing with 20 points and a team best four assists. Moore connected on 4 of 7 three-point attempts.
Demarcus Daniels chipped in 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks, while
Jalen Nesbitt added 10 points and five boards.
"Today was a total team effort," said head coach
Matthew Driscoll, who improved to 8-0 in non-conference neutral site games at UNF. "We got some big contributions from guys up and down the roster. I really love our guys consistent resiliency. I was especially proud of how we came out to play in the second half after struggling a little at the close of the first half. It is always exciting and our goal to play for championships and we have another opportunity tomorrow."
Moore got the Ospreys rolling to start the game hitting a three-pointer for the team's first basket followed by five straight points by
Chris Davenport. After a basket by the Flames at the 16:40 mark, Daniels keyed another 8-0 surge with a layup followed by back-to-back treys from Moore.
North Florida would maintain a double-digit advantage for much of the opening stanza using solid defense and balanced offensive play. Leading 41-25 with just under four minutes to play in the first period, Liberty took advantage of a scoring drought for the Ospreys, outscoring UNF 10-1 and trim the halftime lead to just 42-35. The seven point margin was UNF's smallest since the 16 minute mark.
The two squads turned up the defensive play to open the second half combining for just 12 points thru the first nine minutes of play. Nesbitt would spark a quick eight point spurt by the Ospreys with a trey a the 10:06 mark followed by a Moore layup and a three-pointer in transition by
Aaron Bodager. The run upped UNF's lead to 56-41 and forced a timeout by Liberty.
North Florida would keep a double-figure advantage the rest of the game, leading by as much as 24 points down the stretch. Daniels scored eight of his points in the final six minutes while
Romelo Banks also collected the final three baskets of the game for UNF.
The Ospreys will be looking for their fourth in-season tournament title in the Driscoll Era having captured the 2009 USM Christmas Classic, the 2010 Cancun Challenge and the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational.
The game will mark the first meeting on the hardwood between UNF and Elon. The Ospreys are 0-3 all-time versus teams from the Colonial Athletic Association having previously met the College of Charleston (0-1) and Willam & Mary (0-2). The championship game will tip off at 4 p.m. (ET) and can be seen online at CBSsports.com/Ulive. The Voice of the Ospreys, Richard Miller, will also call the action live on the radio on 1010 XL (am) in Jacksonville and on the internet at 1010xl.com.
| Team-by-Team Comparison |
| North Florida | Elon |
| Record | 2-3 | 2-2 |
| Points/game | 65.6 | 66.2 |
| Rebounds/game | 30.0 | 35.2 |
| Assists/game | 13.0 | 9.5 |
| FG Percentage | 45.5 | 39.8 |
| 3PT Percentage | 37.1 | 33.3 |
| FT Percentage | 66.9 | 68.8 |
**UPDATE** Coach Matthew Driscoll is fine after momentarily fainting on the UNF sideline with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game. Driscoll has checked and cleared by both the UNF athletic training staff and the tournament medical staff. He will be in his normal spot on the Osprey bench for Wednesday's tournament championship game versus Elon.
