Hot-Shooting NJIT Tops Ospreys in ASUN Road Debut

Thursday, January 18

Newark, N.J.

7 p.m.

University of North Florida

8-13, 2-2ASUN

NJIT

9-10, 2-2ASUN

North Florida

NJIT

1/18/2018 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

OPENING TIP
Score: North Florida 59, NJIT 91
Records: North Florida (8-13, 2-2 ASUN) | NJIT (9-10, 2-2 ASUN)
Location: NJIT Wellness & Event Center (Newark, N.J.)
The Short Story: The North Florida men's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting NJIT squad Thursday night as the Highlanders posted a 91-59 victory behind 53 percent shooting and 11 three-pointers.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
Final Boxscore PDF | Full Game Book

NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Noah Horchler narrowly missed a double-double finishing with 12 pts and 8 rebs
- Trip Day had his 8th straight double-figure performance scoring 10 points
- NJIT saw four players in double digits led by 17 (5-5 3PM) for Diandre Wilson
- Highlanders won the battle of the boards, 44-31, and collected 25 assists

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half Notes
- UNF opened the game with the first five points of the game including a 3-pointer by Trip Day
- NJIT answered with 10 consecutive points to earn their first lead
- After trading baskets, the Highlanders used another 10-point surge to build a 22-9 advantage with 12:44 left in the period
- The Highlanders continued to edge further ahead and eventually seized control of the momentum following a 12-0 spurt over three minutes of play
- During the drought, the Ospreys went 0-6 from the field and committed three turnovers
- The Ospreys cut into the deficit with back-to-back treys by Ryan Burkhardt and Garrett Sams
- Ivan Gandia-Rosa hit a three-pointer at the intermission buzzer to cut the halftime deficit to 58-30
- NJIT shot 69% from the field for the half highlighted by 6-of-8 from long distance (75%) | Highlanders also outrebounded Ospreys, 22-10, and turned 8 UNF turnovers into 17 points

Second Half Notes
- The Highlanders continued their hot shooting out of the break, connecting on three straight triples to widen the margin
- NJIT pushed in front by as much as 41 points (87-46) with 5:41 remaining but a 9-0 run by the Ospreys closed the deficit
- Ryan Burkhardt drilled a three to start the run followed by back-to-back baskets from Horchler and capped by a dunk from Benedikt Haid
- UNF struggled from the arc in the second half going 2-13
- Osprey defense held Highlanders to 37% shooting in the final 20 minutes

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Highlanders 58 points in the first marked the highest total allowed by UNF in the opening stanza this year
- NJIT turned 12 UNF turnovers into 25 points
- All 10 Ospreys players that saw game action scored in the game with six players making a three-pointer
- The two teams combined to attempt just 15 free throws on the night

LAST WORD
"It's really, really hard to get punched in the mouth like we did tonight and come back. It's especially challenging when they are flowing like they were flowing. To their credit, they came out prepared and focused, they played with energy and efficiency. We never responded to anything they threw at us. We don't have time to sulk because league play on the weekend is quick turnarounds so we have to get ready to play again on Saturday afternoon. We have to wash this out and not let one loss lead to two." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll

NEXT UP
North Florida wraps up its ASUN road weekend at USC Upstate on Saturday at 2 p.m.