Boxscore (PDF)
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Powered by 19 points from Sierra Shepherd and 16 points from Destinee Smith, University of North Florida women's basketball made its return to UNF Arena with a 54-39 victory over Thomas University (Ga.) on Saturday afternoon. It was the Ospreys' first home game since their Elementary School Day game against Edward Waters on Nov. 18.
 
"Our execution was much better in the second half today," said head coach Mary Tappmeyer. "We knew Sierra could be a special player for us. She's always been a very good point guard, but she's getting more confident in her scoring ability. When you have five people on the floor with the ability to score, it makes it tougher to guard. Sierra really stepped it up and hit some big shots for us."
 
Shepherd's 19 points were a career-high, while Smith's 16 marked her seventh-straight double-digit point game. Paulina Zaveckaite grabbed a game-best 14 rebounds and she's recorded double-digit rebounds in four of UNF's last five games. Brittney Wright dished out five assists.
 
UNF shot 33.8 percent (22-for-65) from the floor and out-rebounded Thomas 49-39.
 
Courtney Sauds led Thomas with 22 points. Bria Joyner-Williams pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.
 
Thomas shot 26.8 percent (15-for-56) for the game.
 
After a slow start that saw Thomas lead by as many as seven points, UNF fought back to hold a 16-15 advantage at 7:52. Shepherd scored all the points in an 8-0 run that put the Ospreys up by one. Thomas gained a pair of three-point advantages, including at 4:35 when a Saunds jumper made it 21-18. UNF answered with a 7-0 run that was capped by a Taru Madekivi three-pointer at 3:08 to give the Ospreys a 25-21 lead. Thomas got a free throw from Joyner-Williams and then a layup by Jessica Anderson in the final 2:22 as UNF held a slim 25-24 led into the halftime.
 
The Ospreys quickly separated themselves from the Nighthawks in the second half, using a 10-0 run to take a 35-24 lead. Wright's layup at 15:40 provided the Ospreys with the 11-point cushion. However, Thomas answered with a 12-0 run and took a 36-35 lead at 10:02 with a pair of Joyner-Williams free throws. Tough defense kept Thomas scoreless for over nine minutes as the Ospreys rattled off 18-straight points. Smith's jumper with 58 seconds remaining capped the run and lifted UNF to a 53-36 advantage. Sharmari Josey's three-pointer at 48 seconds was Thomas' final bucket and UNF ended the game with two Shepherd foul shots.
 
The Ospreys return to the road on Tuesday and head west to Florida State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., from the Tucker Center.