Monday, January 21
Jacksonville, Fla.
7:00 p.m.
University of North Florida
9-12
72
vs
76
NJIT
15-5
1
2
F
NJIT
31
45
76
North Florida
30
42
72
Team Stats
NJIT
UNF
FG%
.417
.409
3FG%
.381
.333
FT%
.750
.600
RB
45
38
TO
12
12
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Todd Drexler
Ospreys On Short End of Men's Basketball Thriller Against NJIT
1/21/2019 11:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OPENING TIP
Score:Â North Florida 72, NJIT 76
Records:Â North Florida (9-12, 3-3 ASUN) | NJIT (15-5, 3-2 ASUN)
Location:Â UNF Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
The Short Story:Â The North Florida men's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season Monday night, 76-72, in a down-to-the-wire thriller against NJIT at UNF Arena.
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
Final Boxscore
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Wajid Aminu (15 pts/12 rebs) and Noah Horchler (13 pts/12 rebs) both finished the game with double-doubles
- Ivan Gandia-Rosa led the way for the Ospreys with 18 points while Garrett Sams added 10 in the loss
- Abdul Lewis paced a trio of Highlanders in double figures, tallying a 24 point/18 rebound double-double
- The game featured 13 ties and 11 lead changes
- North Florida was whistled for 23 fouls compared to 14 for NJIT | Highlanders made 18 FTs to just 15 attempts from the line for UNF
- NJIT topped the Ospreys, 45-38 on the glass
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half Notes
- North Florida got things rolling early, outscoring the Highlanders 9-3 to start the game | Wajid Aminu scored four points in the run
- Minutes later, NJIT responded with a 9-2 spurt of their own to tie the score for the first time at 14-14
- Ivan Gandia-Rosa and Carter Hendricksen connected on back-to-back threes and Aminu tallied a pair of FTs to give UNF a four point lead
- Nine straight points from the Highlanders put the Ospreys in a five-point hole, 27-22, with 4:41 left in the first period
- Gandia-Rosa scored a driving lay-up to halt the NJIT run
- The squads traded baskets into the break with NJIT holding a slim 31-30 lead at halftime
Â
Second Half Notes
- The Highlanders extended their lead quickly after the intermission, but UNF continued to battle and were able to even the score at 39 on a floater from Gandia-Rosa just four minutes into the action
- The score seesawed over the next several minutes as neither team would lead by more than three
- North Florida used an 8-0 surge capped by three-pointers from Ryan Burkhardt and Hendricksen to build a 56-50 advantage at the 8:45 mark
- NJIT rallied with six straight to tie the score before treys from Horchler and Gandia-Rosa sandwiched an NJIT free throw giving the Ospreys a four-point cushion
- Five quick points allowed the Highlanders to answer and retake the lead before Horchler and Gandia-Rosa responded with a combined five points
- With 2:49 on the clock, UNF lead 66-62 but NJIT was able to close the game 14-6 and earn the win
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Loss marked the first of the season at home for North Florida (6-1) and snapped a 9-game home win streak
- NJIT won for the first time in UNF Arena having dropped their three previous visits
- Horchler tallied his ASUN leading 10th double-double, while Aminu claimed his 4th of the year
LAST WORD
"They were tougher than us down the stretch, scoring seven straight buckets after we took the lead twice by four. We didn't execute like we needed with turnovers and bad shots, while they came down and got buckets. You have to credit them, especially (Zach) Cooks and (Abdul) Lewis for making all the key plays and big shots. Those two took it upon themselves to step up and win the game for them and they did. I thought we defended the ball pretty well in the first half but in the second half it was non existent. We fouled too much and allowed them to shoot a ton of free throws. It's our first home loss, definitely a tough loss because it moves us down in the standings. Thursday's game is important not because it is JU but because its the next league game for us. We have to find a way to not be so selfish and figure out a way to become better." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll
NEXT UP
North Florida continues its brief home stand Thursday by hosting crosstown rival Jacksonville in the River City Rumble in UNF Arena a 7 p.m.
NORTH FLORIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL | BOOT CAMP EXTENDED CUT
Wednesday, October 01
Men's Basketball Post Game Presser vs UNC Greensboro
Sunday, December 15
Coach Driscoll Postgame Interview at Georgia Tech
Monday, November 11
River City Rumble Cinematic Recap
Tuesday, January 16
