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University of North Florida Athletics

Josh Endicott shoots the ball
Todd Drexler
72
North Ala. UNA 10-4,6-2 ASUN
82
Winner North Florida UNF 7-11,5-3 ASUN
North Ala. UNA
10-4,6-2 ASUN
72
Final
82
North Florida UNF
7-11,5-3 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Ala. UNA 34 38 72
North Florida UNF 45 37 82

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

Ospreys Tame League Leading Lions Behind Balanced Attack

OPENING TIP
Score: North Florida 82, North Alabama 72
Records: North Florida (7-11, 5-3 ASUN) | North Alabama (10-4, 6-2 ASUN)
Location: UNF Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
The Short Story: Bolstered by a pair of large scoring runs and a trio of players close to scoring 20 points each the North Florida men's basketball team knocked off ASUN leader North Alabama, 82-72, Saturday night in UNF Arena.

BY THE NUMBERS
- Carter Hendricksen rebounded from a season low output on Friday (6 pts) with a team best 20-point performance that included a trio of treys 
- Josh Endicott and Jose Placer each chipped in 18 points while Jonathan Aybar led the squad with 6 rebounds
- Emmanuel Adedoyin dished out 8 of the team's 14 assists in the win
- North Alabama had three players in double digits, led by 20 points from Mervin James | Emanuel Littles recorded a double-double finishing with 14 pts/11 rebs
- Ospreys committed a season low 8 turnovers while forcing UNA into 14 resulting in 19 points for UNF
- North Florida shot 51% from the floor highlighted by a 50% performance (11 of 22) from the 3-point line

NOTABLE MOMENTS
- North Alabama started the game with an 11-5 run through the first four minutes of play
- The Lions would maintain a lead as the two squads settled into a back-and-forth battle for much of the period
- Trailing 29-25, the Ospreys used an 11-2 spurt to spark a 20-5 run to close the half and hold a 45-34 halftime lead
- UNF's defense held the Lions to just one free throw over the last 3:34 of the half and also limited UNA to just 1 of 9 shooting
- UNA scored 8 of the first 10 points in the second half and eventually used a 21-9 run to retake the lead, 55-54
- Jacob Crews drilled a three-pointer to put the Ospreys back in front before UNA answered and went ahead 58-57
- The Ospreys would score the next 10 points including 7 from Carter Hendricksen to grab the momentum and a near double digit lead
- The 10-0 spurt was part of an 18-5 that put the game away for UNF
- The Lions could get no closer than seven the remainder of the game
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- North Florida improved to 6-1 all-time against North Alabama
- In four ASUN back-to-back series this season, UNF has yet to be swept having rebounded from three game one losses with game two victories
- Ospreys turned the tables on the Lions from game one, making 19 free throws to just 14 FT attempts for UNA
- All 8 players that appeared in the game for North Florida notched points with six of the players making a three-pointer


LAST WORD - Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
"I was super proud of our team in the way we've handled these challenging situations of suffering a tough loss on Friday night's and then come back on the quick flip with a strong performance. I was really proud of how the guys competed and responded not just in the first half but also after they punched us in the second half by retaking the lead on a three and we were able to come down and score right back. We were able to execute and find the right guys at the right time, and guys made timely shots like we know they are capable of doing. It all stemmed from our defensive effort over the final three media timeouts. We took care of the ball with just eight turnovers against a team that presses and is super physical. We were quick but we didn't ever hurry, which then allowed us to spray the ball around to open players for key shots. We knew they would continue to battle and our guys did a great job of matching that fight. We've led in the second half in seven of our eight league games which is a huge, huge statement for this group." 

NEXT UP
North Florida is currently scheduled for a trip to Liberty for a pair of games next weekend (Feb. 5-6). Final schedule plans will be announced by the ASUN early next week.
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