OPENING TIP
Score: North Florida 67, Eastern Kentucky 80
Records: North Florida (0-1) | Eastern Kentucky (1-0)
Location: Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, N.C.)
The Short Story: North Florida men's basketball opened the 2020-21 campaign with a tough 80-67 loss Wednesday night to Eastern Kentucky at the Mako Medical Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh, N.C.

BY THE NUMBERS
- Carter Hendricksen led all scorers with 20 points including 5 three-pointers | Hendricksen also pulled down seven rebounds
- Newcomer Jose Placer had 13 points (6-6 FTM) and five assists in his UNF debut
- Emmanuel Adedoyin also reached double figures, finishing with 10 points while Dorian James led the squad with 9 rebounds to go along with his three assists
- EKU saw four players reach double digits paced by Tre King's double-double of 15 points & 10 rebounds
- Ospreys committed 21 turnovers resulting in 27 points for the Colonels
- #BirdsofTrey opened the season with 10 three-pointers made

NOTABLE MOMENTS
- Hendricksen started the game with a trey to spark an 8-0 run for the Ospreys
- UNF maintained for the first 10 minutes of play while EKU struggled to get things going offensively
- Midway through the period, Eastern Kentucky mounted runs of 11-0 and 9-0 as part of a 20-2 spurt that allowed them to grab a lead they would not give back
- EKU led 50-34 at halftime
- Hendricksen scored the Ospreys first eight points of the second half helping UNF battle back
- UNF's defense held Eastern Kentucky to 3 of 13 shooting thru the first five minutes of the second period
- A late push by the Ospreys trimmed the deficit to the final margin as UNF outscored EKU, 33-30 over the final 20 minutes, while limiting the Colonels to 29% shooting including a 1-for-12 showing behind the 3-point arc in the half
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Seven players made their debuts for the Ospreys in the game including five players who saw their first collegiate action
- Hendricksen accounted for half of the squad's 3PM total
- Freshman Jonathan Aybar earned his first career start responding with a near double-double of 8 pts | 7 rebs
- Ospreys finished 15 of 19 from the FT line highlighted by a perfect 8-for-8 performance in the first half
- UNF has now lost its last four season openers and falls to 2-19 all-time versus OVC squads

LAST WORD
"The one thing we have to understand and keep in context is who we are playing against and the style in which that opponent plays. We were trying to get the new guys to figure out where they fit in and to gain experiences. Tonight we saw a lot of indecision and some guys trying to get to places they needed to get. We got off early and scored 16 points in the first four minutes, and sometimes that is like fool's gold because you think you've got things figured out, but then you revert back to things that you shouldn't.  At the start of the second half we got defensive stops on 9 of the first 12 possessions which limited their pressing ability.  We chipped away at the lead but then we had some errant shots and did some things out of character which allowed them to build the lead back up. It's extremely hard to guard the basketball off a live turnover or after a bad shot.  We are always going to compete and get after it. We just have to wash this out, watch the video and see where we can make improvements and be ready to go again Friday against NC State." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll

NEXT UP
North Florida concludes play in the Mako Medical Wolfpack Invitational, Friday (Nov. 27) against host N.C. State at 5:30 p.m.