Final Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The North Florida basketball team claimed its first program victory over a Power 5 Conference opponent, chugging past the Purdue Boilermakers in the closing minutes for a 73-70 victory at Mackey Arena.

The Ospreys (6-3) trailed Purdue (6-2) by seven points with just under four minutes remaining before using an 11-0 run to seize the momentum and capture the victory. The win was the first by UNF against a team from the Big 10 Conference, ending an 0-11 streak.

Sophomore Dallas Moore finished with a team best 24 points, including 16 in the second half, while Demarcus Daniels matched career bests with 17 points and eight rebounds in handing the Boilermakers their first home loss of the season and snapping their 12-game non-conference home win streak. Beau Beach nearly finished with a double-double tallying 11 points and eight boards. 

"I can't put into words how excited and proud I am of this group of guys," said head coach Matthew Driscoll. "Our guys just battled and had a sustained effort for the full 40 minutes. We were able to get defensive stops down the stretch and had players make plays. This was definitely a total team effort with so many guys stepping up and doing good things for us. It is a big win for this team, our program, our fans but also for all the former players who laid the foundation and played those tough road games against the big conference teams. It's a great day to be an Osprey. SWOOP!"

After the Ospreys opened the game scoring the first six points of the game, Purdue answered with a 22-4 run to their largest lead, 22-10, with 10 minutes to play in the first half. The Boilers 7-2, 297-lbs center Isaac Haas keyed the run scoring 10 points including three straight baskets.

Purdue would maintain a double-digit advantage for the next few minutes until an 8-0 spurt by UNF trimmed the deficit to 29-24 with four minutes left. Following six consecutive points for the Boilers, Daniels closed the half with a pair of baskets pulling UNF within eight, 36-28, at the half. Purdue shot 50 percent (16-32) from the floor in the first period while the Ospreys were held to 33 percent (10-30).

A flurry of three straight treys, including a pair from Moore and one by Daniels, helped UNF get off to a quick start in the second half, closing the margin to 40-37. Purdue would push the lead back to near double-figures as the teams settled into a frenetic back-and-forth pace over the middle portion of the period.

P.J. Thompson hit a jumper for Purdue with 3:11 on the clock giving the Boilers a 62-55 lead before the Ospreys made their decisive charge. Jalen Nesbitt, who finished with 12 points, got the run started with  an old-fashioned  three-point play followed by a driving layup from Moore. Daniels would then convert a three-point play giving Ospreys a 63-62 lead with 1:30 remaining.

Moore would extend the UNF lead to four, 66-62, on the team's next possession by drilling a three-pointer from the corner with under a minute left. Five straight free throws from Nesbitt and Moore would help secure the victory as Purdue failed to overcome the deficit.

UNF turned the tables defensively in the second half, holding the Boilermakers to 31 percent (13-42) shooting while blistering the nets offensive at a 52 percent (15-29) clip en route to outscoring Purdue, 45-34, in the period.

North Florida has now won five games in a row, matching the longest win streak under Driscoll. The Ospreys will be off from competition for fall semester exams at UNF, before returning to the court on Dec. 15 against Tennessee Tech at UNF Arena.