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University of North Florida Athletics

Women's basketball player Ty Purifoy dribbles a basketball with her left hand, attempting to move past a Liberty defender.
51
North Florida UNF 15-14
65
Winner Liberty Lib 16-15
North Florida UNF
15-14
51
Final
65
Liberty Lib
16-15
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
North Florida UNF 15 14 8 14 51
Liberty Lib 14 15 15 21 65

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

Women's Basketball Falls in ASUN Semifinals at Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Va. -  North Florida women's basketball saw its magical run over the last few weeks come to an end in a hard fought 65-51 loss at Liberty in semifinal action of the ASUN Championship Tournament. 

Leaders
UNF
LIBERTY
  • Emily Lytle | 18 points (4-8 3PM)
  • Kierra Johnson-Graham | 14 points
  • Flames had 14 steals and 18-19 FTM

Inside the First Half
The opening half featured scoring runs traded back-and-forth. Liberty got things started by scoring the first five points which the Ospreys quickly answered with five of their own including a three-pointer from Ty Purifoy that ended the squad's 0-28 slump from long distance that covered the last two games. UNF would go scoreless for a three minute stretch as LU netted seven straight points. North Florida closed the quarter on a 10-2 surge capped by Adrienne Jackson's buzzer beating jumper and held a 15-14 lead.

The Flames tallied the first six points of the second quarter for a 5-point lead. The Ospreys battled back scoring the next nine points including another trey and lay-up by Jackson along with free throws from Purifoy and a three-point play by Jazz Bond. Another Jackson three moments later pushed the UNF lead to its largest, 27-22, with 3:02 in the half. Liberty rallied before the buzzer with a 7-2 spurt, tying the score at 29-29 at halftime. Dasha Eremeeva provided the Ospreys with a second buzzer beating shot, hitting a jumper just before the intermission horn.

Inside the Second Half
Things remained close over the first several minutes of the third period before Liberty flexed its strength on the defensive end outscoring the Ospreys, 12-2 including a 7-0 spurt to get the run started. During the sluggish play, UNF was 4-13 from the floor and committed five turnovers. LU built a 44-37 lead by the end of the quarter. 

A 9-0 run to open the fourth quarter by Liberty proved to be the deciding factor in the game. The Ospreys would not score their first points until the 3:55 mark with a pair of free throws by Bond. The Flames then scored six more points extending the lead to 20. North Florida charged back with six straight points but LU turned back any last minute rally for UNF making six consecutive free throws in the closing minutes.
 
Osprey Fast Breaks
  • North Florida made its second consecutive appearance in the ASUN semifinals
  • Ospreys fell to 5-9 all-time in ASUN Tournament play
  • Loss was just the second for UNF in their last eight games
  • Senior Ty Purifoy capped her career by increasing her UNF record single season assist mark to 165
  • The 15 overall victories set a season high mark of Gibbs' tenure and is the best finish in the Division I era.
  • Jazz Bond netted her 20th double-figure performance of the season while Adrienne Jackson tallied her 16th and Purifoy had her 7th | Purifoy missed her first double-double by a single assist

Thoughts From the Top
 "Tonight was a tough game. I thought coming out in the second half, we were in a position to sort of push forward after making a couple of adjustments. Unfortunately, the just flat out got done what they wanted to get done. I thought from a physicality standpoint that out-muscled us and pushed us around. They got the rebounds they needed and got to the spots they wanted to on offense. We just didn't respond the way we needed to. They had a huge run at the beginning of the fourth quarter that kind of solidified the game for them. It's tough to go out this way especially with the way we've been playing, the roll we've been on and how we've been getting it done. Tonight we weren't ourselves and that's how we feel." -- Head coach Darrick Gibbs.

What's Next
Game marked the completion of the 2018-19 season for the Ospreys. With the win, Liberty advances to Sunday's ASUN Championship game at FGCU.

 
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