JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior Dasha Eremeeva netted a career-high 18 points while North Florida couldn't capitalize on three different opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final five seconds as the Ospreys fell 63-62 vs. Alabama A&M at UNF Arena on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Ospreys fall to 4-5 on the season while the Bulldogs improve to 4-6.
 
Leaders
UNF
Dasha Eremeeva: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Jazz Bond: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists
 
AAMU
Carnethia Brown: 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Jameica Cobb: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
 
Inside the 1^st Quarter
AAMU held a 9-5 lead with a little more than four minutes remaining before UNF reeled off 12 consecutive points to take an eight-point advantage into the second quarter. Eremeeva had eight points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting mark to lead North Florida as the Ospreys shot 62.5 percent from the field.
 
Inside the 2^nd Quarter
Eremeeva connected on a jumper in the paint with 4:28 remaining to give UNF its largest lead of the game, 29-16. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the half and a Bulldog basket at the buzzer made the score 38-28 at the midway point. The Ospreys posted a 10-7 advantage in rebounding while neither team attempted a free throw in the quarter.
 
Inside the 3^rd Quarter
Facing a double-digit deficit at the break, the Bulldogs came out firing in the third quarter. AAMU tallied the first 10 points to tie the game at 38 with 7:35 left. North Florida scored on three straight possessions as Ty Purifoy and Bond combined for an 8-0 rally to give the Ospreys a 50-44 lead with 1:53 remaining. The Bulldogs forced nine UNF turnovers and outscored UNF 19-14 in the third frame.
 
Inside the 4^th Quarter
Alabama A&M held the Ospreys scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter as the Bulldogs recorded an 11-0 run to take a 58-52 lead. Arianna Emanuel-Wright and Eremeeva scored on consecutive possessions to cut the AAMU lead at 58-56 with 3:02 left.
 
The Ospreys tied the game with 49 seconds left with a Eremeeva layup off the Purifoy assist. Purifoy scored on a fastbreak layup with 11 seconds remaining to cut AAMU lead to one, 63-62. The Bulldogs missed a pair of free throws before Purifoy's game-winning attempt fell short with one second left. Adrienne Jackson was sent to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws after being fouled with 0.3 seconds remaining, but couldn't get one to go down.
 
Thoughts From the Top
"We didn't get off to a great start, but weathered the storm and got things going in the end of the first quarter and early second quarter. We had a couple adjustments we needed to make on the defensive end, but I liked where we were at the half. They opened the second half with a run which turned into a dog fight. At the end of the game, they executed better and outworked us. I thought we were too passive on the defensive end of the floor and we turned the ball over too much."
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Ospreys notched a 39-35 advantage in rebounding while shooting 47.9 percent from the field compared to AAMU's 38 percent shooting.
• Emanuel-Wright scored 11 points while grabbing eight rebounds and handing out two assists.
• Purifoy tallied five points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Alabama A&M forced UNF into a season-high 26 turnovers.
• AAMU held 24-9 lead in points off turnovers while the Osprey bench outscored their counterparts, 23-17.
• North Florida led for 23:26 of the game while the Bulldogs had the advantage in scoring for 12:28.
• The contest featured six ties and four lead changes.
• The loss marks the first Osprey loss at UNF Arena since February 17, 2017 vs. NJIT.

 
Looking Ahead
The Ospreys conclude the UNF Holiday classic tomorrow as they take on Warner at 2 p.m. at UNF Arena.