JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida women's basketball team battled back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, but that wasn't quite enough as the Ospreys fell 70-64 in overtime against North Alabama in the ASUN opener on Saturday afternoon at UNF Arena.
 
The Ospreys fall to 5-7 (0-1 ASUN) on the season while the Lions are 10-1 (1-0 ASUN) in their first season of Division I basketball.
 
Leaders
UNF
Arianna Emanuel-Wright: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
Janesha Green: 14 points, 6 rebounds
 
UNA
Brittany Panetti: 28 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals
 
Inside the First Half
The Ospreys began the game hitting on all cylinders as UNF scored on five straight possessions to take a 19-5 lead with 3:54 left in the opening quarter. An 18-0 run for North Alabama allowed the Lions to register a 23-19 advantage early in the second quarter.
 
The teams went back-and-forth in the final eight minutes as UNA held a 31-28 lead at halftime. After shooting 60 percent from the field in the first quarter, the Ospreys cooled down to a 28.6 shooting percentage in the second quarter.
 
Inside the Second Half
North Alabama opened the second half with seven straight points to take a 10 point lead early in the quarter. UNF cut the deficit down to three after Ty Purifoy hit Green in stride for a fast break layup with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
 
Purifoy connected on a trey with 4:06 left in regulation to give North Florida a 54-53 lead before UNA answered with a triple of their own. A pair of Green free throws propelled UNF to a two-point lead with 1:57 left, but the Lions scored a basket with 33 seconds remaining to send it into overtime.
 
The Lions held the advantage in the overtime period as the Ospreys were never able to capture the lead after a Purifoy jumper tied the game with 2:39 left. UNA capped the game with a 7-2 rally to clinch the 70-64 overtime victory.
 
Thoughts From the Top
"We battled against a really good team this afternoon. Unfortunately, they made a few more plays than we did. That was a tough loss, but we have a huge road trip coming up, and we have to shift our focus on getting ready for Lipscomb." – head coach Darrick Gibbs
 
Osprey Fast Breaks

• UNF posted a better shooting performance than the Lions, shooting 38.5 percent from the floor while holding UNA to a 37.5 shooting percentage.
• The teams went back-and-forth in the paint as the Ospreys tallied a 45-41 rebounding advantage while the Lions outscored North Florida 34-32 in the paint.
• Emanuel-Wright fell one rebound short of her third double-double of the season, tallying 15 points and nine rebounds.
• Purifoy filled the stat sheet, recording 10 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals.
• Green scored 14 of UNF's 19 bench points while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
• Today's contest featured seven lead changes and five ties.
• Both teams held double digit leads in the game and North Alabama led for 27:48 while the Ospreys had the upper hand in the scoring column for 13:10.

 
What's Next
The Ospreys hit the road for the first time in ASUN play this season, traveling to Nashville, Tenn. to face Lipscomb on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).