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University of North Florida Athletics

Jonathan Aybar dunks the basketball
Todd Drexler
54
Kennesaw St. KennSt 3-12,0-7 ASUN
69
Winner North Florida UNF 5-10,3-2 ASUN
Kennesaw St. KennSt
3-12,0-7 ASUN
54
Final
69
North Florida UNF
5-10,3-2 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kennesaw St. KennSt 26 28 54
North Florida UNF 26 43 69

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

Second Half Surge Propels Ospreys Over Owls in ASUN Home Opener

OPENING TIP
Score: North Florida 69, Kennesaw State 54
Records: North Florida (5-10, 3-2 ASUN) | Kennesaw State (3-12, 0-7 ASUN)
Location: UNF Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
The Short Story: North Florida men's basketball used a second half scoring flurry to secure a 69-54 win versus Kennesaw State on Friday night in their ASUN home opener. 

BY THE NUMBERS
- Carter Hendricksen collected his first double-double of the season finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds
- Jose Placer led all scorers with 17 points, highlighted by a 7 for 10 performance from the floor
- Jonathan Aybar also reached double digits, dropping in 12 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocked shots off the bench
- Kennesaw State had a pair of players in double figures paced by 14 points for Spencer Rodgers
- North Florida held a 39-30 advantage in rebounding
- Kennesaw State made 7 three-pointers compared to 6 for the Ospreys
- UNF outscored KSU, 43-28, in the second half

NOTABLE MOMENTS
- North Florida struggled offensively to start the game as Kennesaw built a 7-point advantage (12-5) over the first 5 minutes of action
- Back-to-back buckets from Jonathan Aybar midway through the first half saw the Ospreys snatch a brief lead, 17-16
- KSU responded with seven consecutive points before both teams cooled off at the end of the period
- UNF's defense held the Owls without a point over the final 3:32, earning a 26-26 tie at intermission after scoring the final five points
- A 10-4 spurt to open second half play pushed the UNF lead to six at 36-30 with 15 minutes remaining
- The Owls answered with 8 straight points to regain the lead for the last time
- With Kennesaw holding a 40-37 advantage, North Florida would outscore the Owls, 22-9, over the next 10 minutes to seize control of the momentum and the game
- Carter Hendricksen scored 12 points in a row to spark an 18-2 run for the Ospreys
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- With the win, UNF improved to 11-1 in ASUN home openers under Matthew Driscoll
- Hendricksen scored 12 of his 16 points over a three minute span in the second period
- UNF overcame 18 turnovers  and an 11-for-20 effort at the FT line in the victory
- Ospreys have now won 4 straight versus Kennesaw and topped the Owls in the last 13 meetings at UNF Arena

LAST WORD - Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
"I'm really proud of the guys in the way they defended the ball and rebounded at a high level. It seemed like we had some hiccups and challenges on offense early in the game. We didn't look as sharp or flow as well. Our guys were able to end the first half on a 5-0 run and then we end the game by allowing them just one field goal and a few free throws in the last seven minutes. Other contributors to our struggles in the first half included poor free throw shooting and 10 turnovers. Our focus on offense is to just get shots and that will be something we will need to look at the tape tonight and try to find some different ways to create more opportunities. In ASUN play this season, only one home team has earned the sweep on a weekend. We shared that with the guys and have challenged them to stay in the present and be prepared for tomorrow." 

NEXT UP
The Ospreys and Owls will face each other Saturday at 5 p.m. in the second game of the weekend series.
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