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University of North Florida Athletics

Garrett Sams dribbles to the basket against North Alabama
Todd Drexler
66
North Ala. UNA 10-22
76
Winner North Florida UNF 16-16
North Ala. UNA
10-22
66
Final
76
North Florida UNF
16-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Ala. UNA 29 37 66
North Florida UNF 30 46 76

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

Osprey Defense Deals North Alabama 76-66 Loss in ASUN Quarterfinals


OPENING TIP
Score: #3 North Florida 76, #6 North Alabama 66
Records: North Florida (16-16, 9-7 ASUN) | North Alabama (10-22, 7-9 ASUN)
Location: UNF Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
The Short Story: Third-seeded North Florida overcame a sluggish offensive performance with a strong defensive effort to secure an ASUN Tournament quarterfinal victory against sixth-seed North Alabama, 76-66, Monday night in UNF Arena.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
Final Boxscore

NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Garrett Sams led the Ospreys with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds highlighted by a trio of treys
- ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, Wajid Aminu, finished with his own double-double of 12 points, 14 rebounds along with six blocked shots and two steals
- Ivan Gandia-Rosa added 14 points and 7 assists while freshman Carter Hendricksen chipped in 13 points and 8 boards
- North Alabama had a quartet of double digit performers led by 15 points from ASUN Freshman of the Year Jamari Blackmon and a 14 point-11 rebound double-double for Kendarius Smith
- The #BirdsofTrey made 11 three-pointers in the game, marking the third consecutive game with 10+ treys
- Ospreys defense limited the Lions to just 34% from the floor and only 28% from the three-point line
- UNA outrebounded UNF, 52-39, including a 20-7 edge on the offensive glass

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half Notes
- The squads exchanged three-pointers to open the game, as UNF got back-to-back treys from Garrett Sams and Carter Hendricksen | The Osprey duo combined to score the team's first nine points
- An 8-0 spurt midway through the opening period capped by the first of three treys by Ryan Burkhardt gave UNF a 17-12 lead
- The Lions roared back with an 11-3 run of their own to regain the scoreboard advantage, 23-20
- UNA would extend its lead to four, 29-25, with 2:40 left in the period
- North Florida closed the half with the final five points including a third three-pointer by Sams with 48 seconds remaining
- The Ospreys had 6 3PM in the first half but were just 2-14 from the floor inside the arc
 
Second Half Notes
- Ospreys opened the second stanza with a 9-3 surge to build a seven point advantage just two minutes into the action
- North Alabama rallied with a 10-4 run, cutting the UNF lead to a single point
- The two squads would settle into a back-and-forth affair over the next several possessions until Burkhardt drilled back-to-back triples pushing the Osprey lead to seven
- UNA continued to battle and closed the gap again until a stretch of seven straight points highlighted by a trey from JT Escobar gave UNF its largest lead of the night, 61-51, with just over four minutes remaining
- From that point, North Florida connected on 9 of 10 free throws to secure the double-digit victory

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- North Florida upped its season best win streak to seven games and advanced to the ASUN semifinals for the fifth consecutive season
- The win allowed the Ospreys to earn a third win over ASUN newcomer North Alabama
- Aminu was 0-6 from the floor in the first half before scoring 11 points in the second half | Aminu had second double-double in the last four games
- Sams recorded his second consecutive double-double and third in the last four games
- Hendricksen reached double figure points for the third straight contest


LAST WORD
"I told the guys that North Alabama would be coming. We also talked about being engaged and I thought these guys were extremely engaged and that our defense was phenomenal. It might have been the best defense we've had in a long, long time from a consistency standpoint. We did give up 52 rebounds but there were a tremendous amount of missed shots and loose balls off long shots. Sometimes that happens.Offensively we were terrible in the first half but in the second half we went back to doing what we do and being who we are. Super, super proud and I know that defense travels. Give North Alabama credit because every time we seemed to get some separation they continued to battle back every time." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll

NEXT UP
North Florida advances to Thursday's ASUN Tournament semifinal at No. 2 Liberty

 
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