Ospreys Nipped by Dolphins, 66-65, in Game One of River City Rumble Doubleheader

Friday, January 8

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

2-9,0-1ASUN

Jacksonville

9-4,3-0ASUN

North Florida

Jacksonville

Carter Hendricksen dribbles the ball with a defender on his back

Ospreys Nipped by Dolphins, 66-65, in Game One of River City Rumble Doubleheader

1/8/2021 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

OPENING TIP
Score: Jacksonville 66, North Florida 65
Records: North Florida (2-9, 0-1 ASUN) | Jacksonville (9-4, 3-0 ASUN)
Location: Swisher Gym (Jacksonville Fla.)
The Short Story: Another River City Rumble, another game decided in the final possession as North Florida is edged 66-65 by crosstown rival Jacksonville on Friday night in Swisher Gym.

BY THE NUMBERS
- Playing for the first time since Nov. 29, junior Carter Hendricksen led the squad with 23 points and five rebounds | Hendricksen connected on 6 of the team's 10 three-pointers
- Jose Placer chipped in 18 points while Emmanuel Adedoyin narrowly missed a double-double with 9 pts/9 rebs
- Jacksonville got 71% of its points from transfer newcomers Dontarius Jones (30 pts) and Kevion Nolan (17 pts)
- Ospreys shot 44% from the field

NOTABLE MOMENTS
- Jacksonville maintained a slight lead for much of the first 10 minutes of play
- Carter Hendricksen scored 11 points in the first 8 minutes of the contest including a trio of treys
- Midway through the stanza, Jose Placer started a 7-1 spurt for the Ospreys that pushed them to a 24-20 advantage
- UNF would hold a slim margin for several minutes
- The Dolphins grabbed a 34-32 halftime lead after closing the period with a 9-3 run aided by four Osprey turnovers
- The two squads traded baskets over the opening minutes of the second half before a 14-3 run by JU gave them their largest lead (54-42) with just over 11 minutes left in the game
- A Hendricksen trey halted the Dolphin run and sparked a 12-2 rally for the Ospreys | The run included baskets from Emmanuel Adedoyin and Jadyn Parker along with treys for Ryan Burkhardt and Adedoyin
- JU answered with five straight points to expand their lead back to 61-54 with just over four minutes remaining
- With 3:42 left, North Florida mounted a final charge using an 11-2 run highlighted by seven points for Adedoyin and capped by another Hendricksen three-pointer to grab a 65-63 lead with 16 second on the clock
- Kevion Nolan would hit a contested three-pointer with six seconds left allowing the Fins to retake the lead
- On the final possession, UNF saw Placer's driving layup spin out at the buzzer as JU escaped with the win

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Hendricksen's total marked a season high performance
- North Florida committed 19 turnovers which resulted in 23 points for JU | Ospreys also surrendered 16 second chance points
- Ospreys tallied double digit three-pointers for the seventh game this season and third in a row
- Ospreys played without starters Josh Endicott and Dorian James, who sat out due to COVID protocols
- JU had only three points scored from the bench
- Loss ended a four-game win streak for UNF in the series and marked the second straight meeting decided in the final possession

LAST WORD - Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
"It was a competitive college basketball game with both teams making plays to have a chance to win. Give them credit for hitting a big shot at the end of the game. Our guys deserve a great deal of credit for continuing to battle and rally from 12 points down to have a chance for the win. On our final possession, we executed well but unfortunately the shot just didn't fall. We were hurt by 23 points off our turnovers and also allowed them 16 second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds which both of those things are hard to defend. It was great to have Carter (Hendricksen) back in the lineup because he's a great player and does a lot of different things for us. Our guys just need to understand that with us missing Josh (Endicott) and DJ (Dorian James) right now that we need folks to step-up and play roles that aren't normal for them."

NEXT UP
North Florida and Jacksonville square off again tomorrow night (Jan. 9) at 6 p.m. in Swisher Gym.