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University of North Florida Athletics

Ivan Gandia-Rosa looks to pass the basketball
Chris Leduc
70
North Florida UNF 7-7,0-0 ASUN
82
Winner Syracuse Syr 7-5,1-1 ACC
North Florida UNF
7-7,0-0 ASUN
70
Final
82
Syracuse Syr
7-5,1-1 ACC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Florida UNF 33 37 70
Syracuse Syr 35 47 82

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

Second Half Surge Sends Syracuse Past Ospreys

OPENING TIP
Score: Syracuse 82, North Florida 70
Records: North Florida (7-7) | Syracuse (7-5)
Location: Carrier Dome (Syracuse, N.Y.)
The Short Story: North Florida made 17 three-pointers and tallied 19 assists but an 11-0 spurt midway through the second half proved to be the difference in a hard fought 82-70 road loss at Syracuse on Saturday night.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
Final Boxscore

NOTABLE NUMBERS
- JT Escobar returned to the lineup for the Ospreys after missing a game due to illness and led the way with 19 points (6 treys) against the Orange
- Carter Hendricksen ended with 17 points while Ivan Gandia-Rosa and Garrett Sams each chipped in 11 points
- Wajid Aminu pulled down a season high 10 rebounds and had a pair of steals | Gandia-Rosa handed out a team leading five assists
- Syracuse had five players in double figures led by 18 for Elijah Hughes
- North Florida outrebounded Cuse, 37-35
- The Orange held a 24 to 12 advantage in free throw attempts for the game

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half Notes
- Game started with a back-and-forth flow before back-to-back three-pointers for Ivan Gandia-Rosa gave the Ospreys their first lead of the game
- Syracuse built a six-point advantage (19-13) after a 12-3 surge
- JT Escobar halted the Cuse run with is second trifecta of the half | The three was part of a span that saw Escobar net 16 consecutive Osprey points including four three-pointers and a four-point play
- Gandia-Rosa and freshman Emmanuel Adedoyin both made a pair of free throws in the closing minutes of the first half giving UNF a slight edge
- The Orange posted a three-point play in the final seconds to hold a slim, 35-33, halftime lead
- North Florida had 9 baskets in the first period with 8 coming from beyond the arc

Second Half Notes
- The teams exchanged triples to open the second half and Syracuse maintained a small margin over the first several minutes
- Back-to-back treys from Carter Hendricksen and Garrett Sams turned a five-point deficit into a one-point lead (44-43) with 16:31 remaining
- After trading baskets over the next few possessions, UNF again erased a deficit getting another three by Sams and lay-up by Trip Day which knotted the score at 54-54 with 12 minutes left to play
- Over the next three minutes, Syracuse broke things open behind an 11-0 run
- North Florida refused to go away and rallied with a 7-2 spurt of their own minutes later, trimming the gap to six (70-64)
- A string of trips to the charity stripe for the Orange down the stretch allowed them to slowly extend the lead to its final margin

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- North Florida upped its nation-leading 3PM total to 179 for the season, tallying double digit treys for the 12th time in 14 games
- Ivan Gandia-Rosa became the program's 16th member of the 1,000-Point Club following his second trey in the first half (14:30 mark)
- Wajid Aminu tallied his second 10 rebound performance against Syracuse in his career


LAST WORD
"Our guys deserve credit for continuing to battle. Unfortunately, we gave up that run which has sort of been something that has consistently happened to us in our losses this season, especially against our high major opponents. Syracuse went on that 11-0 run that was the difference in the game. Our guys fought and tried to get back in it. We made some shots late but in these games we have such a fine line. We have to continue to grow and develop and figure out a way to get through those stretches. We have to find a way to make those key buckets when we need them. Tonight we had chances and didn't make the shots and they did. When we come back from the break, we have a Top 10 opponent in Dayton and then its on to ASUN play. One thing we will know is how to play on the road." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll

NEXT UP
Following a nine-day competition break for the holidays, North Florida returns to the hardwood on Dec. 30 with a visit to Dayton, which marks the final non-conference tilt of the season
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