KENNESAW, Ga. - North Florida women's basketball was hampered by turnovers and cold shooting as second-seeded Liberty grabbed the 65-52 lead in the ASUN semifinal game Friday evening at the KSU Convocation Center.
UNF moves to 6-11 in ASUN Championship play and is still searching for its first championship appearance since 2010. The Ospreys have appeared in four straight semifinal contests.
Ospreys of the Game
FROM THE TOP
"I can't put into words how proud I am of this group. It didn't finish up the way we thought it would, but I loved our fight, flexibility and resilience. This is a special group of people and its been fun being part of their growth." - head coach
Darrick Gibbs
Turning Point
The Ospreys took the lead 39-38, but quickly went on a scoring drought as Liberty went on a 13-0 run spanning the end of the third until 7:15 of the fourth. It proved to be the difference in the game.
INSIDE THE GAME
- .Liberty held a slight 11-7 edge by the first media before back-to-back threes from Mackins pushed UNF out front. It was quickly erased as the Flames ended the quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 19-13.
- After a Jones' triple to open the second quarter, Liberty once again went on a 9-0 tear for a 28-16 advantage. North Florida battled back with a 14-5 run of its own to pull within, 33-30, but a traditional three-point play from Bella Smuda made it 36-30 at the break.
- The third quarter was ice cold for both teams struggled to find the basket. Tiffany Tolbert ended the drought with a triple at the 4:45 mark to tie the game at 36-all. On the other end, Smuda finally hit a basket for Liberty at the 3:18 mark of the third.
- North Florida had another longball from Jones, but Liberty answered and then some to lead 44-39.
- In the fourth, UNF used an 8-2 run with five points coming from Moore, to pull within 51-45 with 4:56 to play. Liberty came up with its own 8-2 run and put the game out of reach as the Ospreys went 1-for-4 from the field down the stretch.
Osprey Fast Breaks
- North Florida was hampered by turnovers as the Flames scored 19 points off 20 Osprey miscues. The Flames also grabbed 16 steals to tie a season-high against the Ospreys.
- The nine points scored in the third quarter by UNF matched the season low set at FGCU on February 28, while Liberty's eight points tied the season low for a UNF opponent.
- UNF only made it to the line six times and hit three, while Liberty was 11-for-16.
- Mackins finishes in third in single-season three-pointers with 71.
What's Next
North Florida closes out the season 14-11 for the third straight winning season under head coach Darrick Gibbs.
