@OspreyWBB Thanksgiving Classic Begins Friday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida women's basketball team will host its annual Thanksgiving Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Ospreys will welcome Bethune-Cookman, Towson and Western Illinois to UNF Arena.

Thanksgiving Classic Schedule

Friday, Nov. 27 – 1:00 p.m. – Towson vs. Western Illinois
Friday, Nov. 27 – 3:00 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. North Florida (ESPN3)

Saturday, Nov. 28 – 1:00 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. Western Illinois
Saturday, Nov. 28 – 3:00 p.m. – Towson vs. North Florida (ESPN3)

Live Stats Link (All Games) : http://www.sidearmstats.com/unf/wbball/

UNF Game Notes

North Florida Game Notes

Tuesday Recap: The Ospreys were unable to overcome an early onslaught by the by the 14^th-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. The Seminoles were 12-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter and shot nearly 55 percent from the field for the game. For three of the six all-time matchups, Florida State has been listed in the Top 25.

Rebounding Highs: Besides knocking down two of the Ospreys four three-pointers on Tuesday, junior Taru Madekivi established a new career-high with six rebounds. In addition senior Kadesia Johnson continued her strong play on the glass, grabbing five boards. In four of the five games this season, Johnson has pulled down five or more rebounds.

Freshman Impact: For the second time in 10 games, Hadley Kiefer led the Ospreys in scoring with eight points on Tuesday at Florida State. She is second on the team with seven three-pointers made and is averaging 6.8 points per game.

Cold Shooting: The Ospreys struggled from the field on Tuesday morning in Tallahassee shooting a season-low, 25 percent from the field. North Florida, who came into the contest as the Atlantic Sun's top three-point shooting team, connected on only four of 25 attempts.

Paint Job: On Tuesday, Florida State scored 48 of its 80 points inside the paint. Of their four, double-digit scorers only two were able to cash in on three-point opportunities. As a team the Seminoles hit five-three pointers tying an Osprey opponent low this season. In 2014-15 the Ospreys allowed less than five three-pointers in seven games including just one in last year's opener against Georgia State.

About Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats are in the midst of an 11-game swing in the state of Florida, five of which will be played in Daytona Beach. Bethune comes into the weekend with a record of 2-3 and are fresh off a 67-48 win over Edward Waters on Tuesday. The Wildcats pitched a 20-0 shutout in the first quarter against EWC and did not surrender a basket until midway through the second period. Bethune is led by Kendra Cooper (11.5 ppg) and Taylor Houston (11.4 ppg) on the offensive end. In addition Kailyn Williams(10.8 ppg) garnered First Team All-MEAC Preseason All-Conference selection and is the Wildcats all-time leader in blocked shots

About Towson: Coming into the weekend tournament, the Tigers are 1-3 with their first win coming on Thursday vs. UMBC, 61-51. Junior Guard Raven Bankston had a game-high 23 points and Daijha Thomas grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the win. Bankston is averaging 20.8 points per game this season which leads the Colonial Athletic Association and is the 32^nd most in the nation. Daijha is averaging 11.3 rebounds per game, which is the third highest average in the CAA

Players Mentioned

Kadesia Johnson

Hadley Kiefer

Taru Madekivi

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