JACKSONVILLE - North Florida women's basketball made a strong push in the second half as the Ospreys took down Northern Kentucky, 58-50, on Tuesday afternoon at UNF Arena.

QUICK GLANCE
Score: North Florida 58, Northern Kentucky 50
Records: North Florida (6-6) | Northern Kentucky (1-8)
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (UNF Arena)
The Short Story: Behind 21 points from Keonna Farmer and 19 points from Arianna Emanuel-Wright, North Florida outscored NKU in the final three quarters to grab a victory in its first game of the Holiday Classic.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
FINAL BOX SCORE PDF

OPENING TIP

• Senior Farmer led the team for the fifth time this season with 21 points, while grabbing eight rebounds.
• Junior Emanuel-Wright came off the bench and dropped a season-high 19 points with four rebounds and two steals. She also hit the only two triples for UNF.
• North Florida shot 40 percent from the floor, while holding the Norse to just 38 percent.
• The Ospreys connected on 16-of-21 from the line, making it the fifth time with 15 or more freebies made.

SAY WHAT?
"This was a great win for us. After getting off to a slow start, we responded and adjusted well. It was great seeing Ari have such an impact in the game. I'm excited about her continued growth." - Head Coach Darrick Gibbs

GAME CAPSULE
First Half Trends

• It was slow start for North Florida, as it trailed 16-9 after the opening 10 minutes.
• The Ospreys opened the second with a 7-1 run, capped by a layup from Ty Purifoy, to pull within, 17-16 with 5:46 to play in the half.
• After trading baskets, UNF had back-to-back buckets to tie the game for the first time at 23-all. The visitors answered with two baskets of their own to lead 27-23 at the break.

Second Half Trends

• The teams kept it close through most of the third quarter with Northern Kentucky holding its largest lead, five, just over two minutes into the frame.
• North Florida chipped away at the lead and eventually got out in front for the first time since the opening quarter on back-to-back makes from Emanuel-Wright to force a Norse timeout.
• NKU answered with a bucket of its own, but the Ospreys closed the frame with an 8-4 run to hold a 44-38 edge at the break.
• In the final frame, the home team took its first double-figure lead of the game on a triple from Emanuel-Wright, to own a 51-40 edge.
• The Norse got to within eight on a three-pointer of their own, but it was as close as it would get.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• North Florida took 21 free throws, marking the fifth time taking more than 20 and shot 76 percent from the line, which ranks fourth on the season.
• NKU made four three-pointers in the opening half, but made just one from long range in the second.
• Samari Mowbray scored a team-best 12 points, while two others had 10 for the Norse.
• For just the fifth time this season, North Florida shot above 40 percent.

UP NEXT
North Florida has a tight turnaround as it faces off with Edward Waters at approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday.