Final Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The North Florida basketball team extended their current win streak to four games following a hard fought 63-56 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday night at Moore Gym.

The Ospreys (5-3) led for all but one minute of play en route to posting their fourth consecutive win over the Wildcats (2-6). The victory was the squad's first road win of the season and also marked the 250th win in the program's 23-year history.

Jalen Nesbitt led a quartet of players in double figures finishing with 14 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Chris Davenport finished with 13 followed by 12 from Trent Mackey and 10 for Romelo Banks.

Delino Dear paced the Wildcats recording a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double.

"All wins are good to get but it's always special to get one on the road," said head coach Matthew Driscoll. "I was really proud of how the guys stepped up and made huge plays for us in some different roles due to a variety of issues. I thought our guys again demonstrated great resiliency and were really good defensively. It is a challenging place to play so I'm excited to leave here with the victory."

After trading baskets for the first several minutes of the game, UNF used a 9-0 run to build a 16-8 lead. The Ospreys would maintain a multi-possession advantage for much of the rest of the period before a late spurt by the Wildcats trimmed the margin. North Florida carried a 28-25 lead into the halftime break.

UNF quickly upped its lead to double figures, 42-30, following a 14-5 run to start the second half. The Ospreys would struggle through a five-minute scoring drought but would not relinquish the lead behind a solid defensive effort of their own. The Wildcats would pull to within three, 53-50, with just over three minutes left to play before seven straight points by the Ospreys put the game away. Nesbitt hit a driving layup to start the surge followed by a three-pointer in transition by Mackey and a pair of Nesbitt free throws. UNF converted enough free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

North Florida continues its current two-game road swing Saturday with a game at Purdue.