JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – FGCU buried back-to-back three-pointers in the second minute of the game and never looked back as North Florida women's basketball fell to the Eagles, 105-66, on Saturday afternoon at UNF Arena.
The Ospreys fall to 6-8 (1-2 ASUN) on the season while the Eagles improve to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in ASUN play.
Leaders
UNF
Arianna Emanuel-Wright: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Ty Purifoy: 12 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
FGCU
Keri Jewett-Giles: 19 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Inside the First Half
FGCU opened the game with a 12-2 run before a
Lauren Gross trey and a pair of
Jazz Bond baskets cut the Eagles lead to 15-9. The Eagles capped the quarter with an 8-3 spurt to hold an 11-point lead after the first 10 minutes.
Emanuel-Wright connected on a jumper with 6:44 left to trim the FGCU lead to 28-18. The 10-point deficit was as close as the Ospreys would get as the Eagles took a 50-29 lead into the break. FGCU buried nine treys in the first half while holding North Florida to 41 percent shooting.
Inside the Second Half
The Eagles connected on 6-of-11 from beyond the arc and shot 52.6 percent overall from the field to outscore the Ospreys 27-15 in the third quarter.
The two teams combined for an offensive outburst in the final quarter, tally 50 combined points. FGCU scored 28 points on 62.5 percent shooting while the Ospreys shot 47.1 percent from the floor to add 22 points.
Adrienne Jackson netted 10 points in the quarter and dished out a trio of assists.
Thoughts From the Top
"We really struggled executing our defensive game plan and protecting the three-point line. We didn't play with enough awareness or toughness to give ourselves a chance today." – head coach
Darrick Gibbs
Osprey Fast Breaks
- The Eagles notched a 39-31 advantage in rebounding and outscored the Ospreys in fast break (18-4) and bench (38-14).
- The 19 Eagle treys are the most North Florida has allowed this season, surpassing the previous season-high total of 14 at Ole Miss.
- Emanuel-Wright has scored in double-figures for eight consecutive games after scoring 17 on Saturday.
- Purifoy led the Ospreys in assists for the eighth time this season and fell one point short of tying her career-high 13-point performance last season vs. FGCU.
- UNF shot a season-best 82.4 percent from the charity stripe.
What's Next
The Ospreys play their second consecutive ASUN game at home next Tuesday, hosting Stetson at UNF Arena at 7 p.m.