Lipscomb Clips #MBB in Closing Seconds, 60-58

Saturday, February 1

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 pm

University of North Florida

12-12, 6-5ASUN

Lipscomb

10-12, 5-6ASUN

Lipscomb

North Florida

Photo by: Todd Drexler

2/1/2014 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The North Florida basketball team had a second consecutive game decided in the final seconds but were on the losing side on Saturday night as Lipscomb edged the Ospreys, 60-58, at UNF Arena.

The Ospreys (12-12, 6-5 Atlantic Sun) saw a pair of chances to tie the game rim out in the final 26 seconds allowing the Bisons (10-12, 5-6) to claim their third straight win. The loss snapped UNF's three-game home win streak and halted a six-game win streak over Lipscomb.

A tightly-contested game should have been suspected from the start since this marked the eighth of 11 league games for each of the teams that has been decided by six points or less.

Senior Travis Wallace posted his third double-double of the season to pace the Ospreys finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow senior Charles McRoy added 13 points and seven rebounds while Jalen Nesbitt chipped in six points, eight rebounds and six assists.

J.C. Hampton led a trio of Bisons in double digits scoring 15 points including the deciding basket with 45 seconds left to play. Khion Sankey and Josh Williams each finished with 11 points.

Despite outrebounding Lipscomb, 38-30, and holding them to 26 percent (5-19) shooting from three-point line, the Ospreys were hurt by 17 turnovers and a 12-22 (54 percent) performance from the free throw line.

"This was a tough game to lose," said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll. "Give credit to Lipscomb for making the plays on both ends of the floor in the closing minute to get the win. We've been a very good free throw shooting team this season so going 12-22 from the line really came back to hurt us. I thought we played well enough defensively, we just missed some opportunities to create separation on the scoreboard. We have to just keep committed to doing all the little things necessary to win games."

McRoy hit the first of his three treys in the game to open the scoring before the Bisons used a quick 7-0 spurt to build a 20-11 advantage with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

North Florida chipped away at the deficit and eventually regained the lead, 25-24, following a Wallace layup with 3:41 left in the period. The squads would trade baskets over the remainder of the stanza with Lipscomb carrying a slim 31-30 lead into the halftime break.

Both defenses tightened in the second half, with the two squads combining for just 25 points thru 10 minutes of action. The score seesawed back-and-forth over the final 10 minutes as the game featured six ties and six lead changes during the period. Also, neither team would lead by more than four points during the stretch.

After another McRoy three-pointer knotted the score at 56-56 with three minutes left, the teams both missed shots to take the lead before Hampton converted a driving layup with 1:35 on the clock but also ran into Wallace on the shot sending the Osprey to the line where he converted a pair of free throws to keep the score tied.

A turnover by Lipscomb followed by a missed shot for the Ospreys set up the deciding final-minute action.

North Florida next opens a three-game road stretch beginning Thursday at Stetson followed by games Saturday at FGCU and the SunTrust River City Rumble rematch against crosstown rival Jacksonville on Feb. 14.