Boxscore (PDF)
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – University of North Florida women's basketball took a critical two-point lead late, but the Ospreys were unable to hold off Jacksonville, who scored the game-winner with 0.6 left on the clock to lift the Dolphins to a 54-52 win on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Arena.
 
"It came down to making free throws, being defensively sound and eliminating offensive rebounds," said head coach Mary Tappmeyer. "We have played a couple of close games lately and we need to learn how to finish strong."
 
Flo Ward paced the Ospreys with a career-high 15 points, while Paulina Zaveckaite added a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double.
 
UNF shot 36.0 percent (18-for-50) for the game, but was just 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the foul line.
 
Briona Brown led the Dolphins with 16 points and Sherranda Reddick added in 13. Jenny Vernet and Kimberly Dawkins each pulled down seven rebounds.
 
Jacksonville shot 29.3 percent (17-for-58), but held a 43-40 advantage in rebounding.
 
A slow start saw UNF trail by as many as nine in the first half as the Dolphins held a 13-4 lead at 10:01 on a Reddick jumper.  Ward connected on back-to-back three-pointers to pull UNF to within three with 8:16 to go. After Reddick hit a three, UNF answered with another Ward trey and a layup from Janeá Williams to make it a one-point game at 6:02. Although Jacksonville gained a pair of five-point leads, UNF chipped away at the Dolphins' advantage and took a 24-22 lead at 1:18 with an Amber Robinson jumper. Two foul shots by Reddick evened the score at 24-24, but Bailey Florin hit a jumper as time expired to give UNF the 26-24 advantage heading into halftime.
 
UNF opened the second half on an 8-2 run to take a 34-26 lead on a Zaveckaite layup at 15:56. The Dolphins attempted to cut into the Ospreys' lead, but a Zaveckaite layup at 13:39 allowed UNF to hold a 40-35 advantage. An 8-2 run provided the Dolphins with a slim 43-42 lead at 8:49.
 
Both teams went scoreless over the next three-and-a-half minutes. Brandi Buie broke the scoring drought and solely powered a four-point Dolphin run to put Jacksonville up 47-42 at 4:29. UNF fought back and forced a tie at 47-47 when Ward sank her fourth trey of the game with 2:42 to go. Zaveckaite put UNF up by one when she sank a free throw with 2:00 remaining. A Reddick free throw at 1:27 forced the game's eighth tie, but Destinee Smith's foul shot at 1:15 allowed UNF to regain a one-point advantage. A layup from Brown at 44 seconds gave Jacksonville the 50-49 lead.
 
Ward connected on a key three-point play to put UNF up 52-50 with 31 seconds to go. Ward drove for a layup, drew the foul and sank the free throw to give the Ospreys the two-point advantage. However, a costly UNF foul put Vernet at the line and she made both free throws to tie the game at 52-52 with 14 seconds to go. Jacksonville then forced an Osprey turnover with four seconds to go and Brown scored the ultimate game-winner.
 
UNF returns to action on Wednesday at Florida Gulf Coast. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m., from Alico Arena and the game will air live on ESPN3.