Ospreys Top Hatters, 80-65, Remain Undefeated in #ASunMBB Play

Saturday, January 17

DeLand, Fla.

1:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

-119, 30 ASun

Stetson

-513, 03 ASun

North Florida

Stetson

Photo by: Todd Drexler

Ospreys Top Hatters, 80-65, Remain Undefeated in #ASunMBB Play

1/17/2015 7:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Combined AP & UNF Staff

Final Boxscore (pdf)
Game Book

DELAND, Fla. -- Jalen Nesbitt scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and added six assists to lead North Florida to an 80-65 victory over Stetson on Saturday afternoon at the Edmunds Center.

Beau Beech also finished with 17 points, and Dallas Moore added 16 points and four steals for North Florida (11-9, 3-0 Atlantic Sun), which has now won four consecutive following a season long four game losing streak. UNF also matched the program's best start in conference play with their sixth straight win over the Hatters (5-13, 0-3).

Kentwan Smith scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead Stetson.

"There is no greater feeling as a coach than when your team wins a game despite not shooting the ball well," said head coach Matthew Driscoll. "Our guys did a great job defensively of getting stops and making the plays we needed especially in the second half. I really felt like Jalen (Nesbitt) really had a huge influence on this game and really stepped up for us."

The Ospreys were outshot by Stetson from the field (44.8 percent to 39.3 percent), but they hit 12 total 3-pointers, finished plus-10 at the free throw line, and won the rebounding battle 40-34, despite not having the services of Chris Davenport, the league's top rebounder who served a one-game suspension after collecting two technicals in a game earlier in the week.

Demarcus Daniels was the squad's top rebounder pulling down a career best 12 while also recording three blocked shots.

After a first half that saw the score seesaw back and forth with neither team leading by more than five until the Ospreys closed the period with an 11-5 run to seize a 44-37 advantage at the break. The Hatters raced out of the gate quickly in the second half, using a 14-7 surge to pull back into the game.

With the score tied at 51 midway through the second half, North Florida went on a 15-2 run, capped by a Trent Mackey 3-pointer, to push its lead past double digits and put the game away.

North Florida continues its current three-game road swing when the Ospreys visit Northern Kentucky on Thursday at 7 p.m.