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University of North Florida Athletics

Coach Matthew Driscoll sits in the middle of team huddle during a timeout
Todd Drexler
76
Winner NJIT NJIT 15-5
72
North Florida UNF 9-12
Winner
NJIT NJIT
15-5
76
Final
72
North Florida UNF
9-12
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
NJIT NJIT 31 45 76
North Florida UNF 30 42 72

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Jacksonville

1/24/2019 | 7:00 p.m.

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Jan. 24 (Thu) / 7:00 p.m.
 Jacksonville
History

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | North Florida Athletics

Ospreys On Short End of Men's Basketball Thriller Against NJIT


OPENING TIP
Score: North Florida 72, NJIT 76
Records: North Florida (9-12, 3-3 ASUN) | NJIT (15-5, 3-2 ASUN)
Location: UNF Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
The Short Story: 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
 
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.
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Players Mentioned

Wajid Aminu

#2 Wajid Aminu

F
6' 7"
Junior
International Business
Ryan Burkhardt

#12 Ryan Burkhardt

G
6' 4"
Sophomore
Sport Management
Ivan Gandia-Rosa

#10 Ivan Gandia-Rosa

G
6' 1"
Junior
Sport Management
Noah Horchler

#0 Noah Horchler

F
6' 8"
Junior
Criminal Justice
Garrett Sams

#11 Garrett Sams

G/F
6' 7"
Junior
Sport Management
Carter Hendricksen

#23 Carter Hendricksen

F
6' 7"
Freshman
Sport Management

Players Mentioned

Wajid Aminu

#2 Wajid Aminu

6' 7"
Junior
International Business
F
Ryan Burkhardt

#12 Ryan Burkhardt

6' 4"
Sophomore
Sport Management
G
Ivan Gandia-Rosa

#10 Ivan Gandia-Rosa

6' 1"
Junior
Sport Management
G
Noah Horchler

#0 Noah Horchler

6' 8"
Junior
Criminal Justice
F
Garrett Sams

#11 Garrett Sams

6' 7"
Junior
Sport Management
G/F
Carter Hendricksen

#23 Carter Hendricksen

6' 7"
Freshman
Sport Management
F