JACKSONVILLE - North Florida women's basketball used a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures en route to sweeping USC Upstate for the season wth a 79-61 win on Monday evening.
QUICK GLANCE
Score: North Florida 79, USC Upstate 61
Records: North Florida (12-16, 5-8 ASUN) | USC Upstate (10-18, 5-8 ASUN)
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (UNF Arena)
The Short Story: Led by senior
Maiya Rumph, North Florida scored an ASUN-high 79 points on Monday to take down the Spartans and own the series for the second straight season.
North Florida is currently in fifth place in the ASUN and if it finishes in that spot, it will be the best finish since the 2011-12 season when UNF placed 4th.
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
FINAL BOX SCORE PDF
SAY WHAT
"This was a great team win! We executed and did a really good job on both ends of the floor. We have played really well in two of our last three games and hopefully that trend will continue." -
Head Coach Darrick Gibbs
OPENING TIP
- Rumph finished with a team-best 15 points with four assists and two steals.
- Freshman Tiffany Tolbert and senior Tesh Hanson each had 13 points and five rebounds, while Tolbert dished out three helpers and picked up a season-best four steals.
- Keonna Farmer wrapped up the double figure scoring with 12 points, while pulling down a game-high seven rebounds.
- Ty Purifoy and Adrienne Jackson just missed double digits with nine points each.
GAME CAPSULE
First Half Trends
- North Florida started hot and had a 16-6 lead with 1:29 to go in the first half.
- USC Upstate got closer with a 3-0 run, but Rumph went to the line and sank two freebies to give the Ospreys an 18-9 lead after one.
- In the second quarter, the Ospreys went on a 12-2 run to lead 30-11 at the 5:10 mark.
- UNF pushed its lead to 41-15 on a triple from freshman Rhetta Moore.
- The second frame ended the same way as the first with Rumph hitting a pair of free throws to give the hosts a 43-16 lead at half.
- The 43 points tie a season-high for first-half points.
Second Half Trends
- USC Upstate went on a 13-7 run to open the third quarter before the teams traded baskets, with the Spartans getting to within 54-34.
- UNF kept its distance for the remainder of the frame, taking a 63-40 advantage into the final 10 minutes.
- The Spartans outscored the Ospreys 21-16 in the final frame as the visitors shot 53 percent from the field including four three-pointers.
- The closest USC Upstate got was on a jumper from Riley Popplewell, who finished with a game-high 17 points, when the score was 74-58 with 2:30 left.
- Hanson hit the Ospreys' final field goal of the game with 2:16 to play and the Spartans also hit just one bucket as the clock ticked down and the Ospreys grabbed the 18-point win.
- The 79 points on the night are a season-best against Division I opponents this season.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The 18-point win ties the 2011 team as the biggest advantage over the Spartans in Division I history.
- North Florida hit a season-high nine triples with two from Purifoy and Tolbert.
- With Farmer's four made field goals, she ties Brittany Kirkland (2009-10) for the UNF Division I record with 179.
- Farmer is also just 10 points shy of moving into second place in the single-season records for points in a season. She currently has 444.
- North Florida is now 11-0 when leading with five minutes to go and 8-1 when scoring 70+ points.
- The Ospreys 12 victories match the 2012-13 season in wins.
- UNF shot 41 percent from the field, while holding Upstate to a 38 percent clip.
UP NEXT
North Florida closes out the regular season as it ends the season the same way it began - against crosstown rival Jacksonville on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.
