JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Both teams made plays and tasted a lead for a good portion of the game, but visiting Lipscomb (10-13, 3-5 ASUN) held off UNF men's basketball, 77-74, Saturday night from the UNF Arena.
The Ospreys (5-17, 1-7 ASUN) were not without some stellar performances in the final game of January in the 2021-22 season.
Carter Hendricksen scored a career-best 26 points on 9-for-21 shooting,
Jose Placer put up his second consecutive 24-point game and
Jonathan Aybar finished one point shy of his second double-double in as many games.
As a team, North Florida blocked 10 shots, good for tied for the second most in a single game in UNF history. The last time North Florida reached that benchmark was Feb. 10, 2018 at Lipscomb.
A perennial force in the shot-blocking game, North Florida surpassed 100 blocks for the year after tallying its 10th game with at least seven swats.
Aybar was electric defensively and offensively, putting up a pair of monstrous put-back dunks while reaching double-digit rebounds for the fourth time in his career.
UNF shot 16-for-17 from the line, good for 94.1 percent, the second-best mark in a single game in UNF history. It is the best shooting percentage from the free throw line in UNF history for games in which UNF took over 15 free throws.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
1st Half
- Lipscomb took a 9-4 lead thanks to a 7-0 run heading into the first media timeout … the Ospreys replied with a 11-2 run of their own, taking a 15-11 advantage after a three-pointer from Jose Placer … Aybar did some work from the outside, hitting a trey before Placer got into another, extending North Florida's lead to 21-13 with 10:55 to go in the half … after a two-plus minute scoring drought from both sides, Lipscomb began to get closer, cutting the deficit to 21-18 on an Ahsan Asadullah layup … Hendricksen made his lone three of the night, bringing the lead back to six for UNF … an 11-3 run sparked Lipscomb ahead … with UNF trailing, 36-29, Placer stepped into a deep three-pointer with two seconds to go in the half, cutting the deficit to 36-32.
2nd Half
- The second half began just as the first did, with Hendricksen nailing a jumper to get UNF within two … Hendricksen then completed the old school three-point play to put UNF ahead, 37-36 … Jarius Hicklen, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half, got in the scoring column with a three-pointer to vault UNF ahead, 40-36 … Lipscomb went on a 5-0 run to even the game again at 46-46, right at the time that Lipscomb's Parker Hazen began to heat up and keep Lipscomb around … both teams traded buckets and stayed neck and neck, although Lipscomb was able to capitalize on some turnovers to create a 65-59 lead … Aybar stepped in and ignited UNF with a memorable sequence featuring a dunk, charge and chase-down block as UNF eventually went ahead 66-65 thanks to a tough Hendricksen layup with 4:01 to go … Lipscomb hit four free throws and went ahead for good … chasing three with just under a minute to go, Hendricksen made a hanging runner in the paint that sat on the rim and fell in, cutting the game to 71-70 in favor of Lipscomb … the teams then went into a free throw and timeout battle, with Lipscomb making enough when it counted.
BY THE NUMBERS
LIP
- Ahsan Asadullah | 19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists
- Parker Hazen | 14 points, 8 rebounds
- Greg Jones | 10 points, 6 steals
UNF
NOTABLES
- The game featured 13 lead changes and 11 tie scores.
- UNF's best scoring run was an 11-0 stretch, while Lipscomb put up a 10-0 clip.
- Four of UNF's eight ASUN games have been decided by three points or less.
- UNF still leads the all-time series with Lipscomb, 18-17.
- Lipscomb outscored the Ospreys, 38-26, in the paint.
- The Bisons generated 14 steals.
- UNF converted 10 three-pointers, reaching double-digit treys for the 10th time this year.
- Hendricksen's previous career high was 24 points in a game against Liberty in 2021.
- UNF shot 94.1 percent from the line, making 16 of 17 free throws.
- Hendricksen has 1,096 points for his career. He surpassed Jerron Granberry and Andy Diaz tonight, moving him into 13th in UNF history for scoring.
COACH DRISCOLL'S COMMENTS (ALONG WITH CARTER HENDRICKSEN & JONATHAN AYBAR POSTGAME)
NEXT UP
UNF heads to Jacksonville State Thursday, Feb. 3 for the start of a quick two-game stint in the state of Alabama.
