PITTSBURGH - North Florida men's basketball wrapped up its second trip to the Steel City on the season, dropping a road affair against the Panthers of the ACC.
Jarius Hicklen,
Carter Hendricksen and
Jose Placer all tallied double-digit scoring efforts Saturday.
FINAL SCORE
- NORTH FLORIDA | 56
- PITTSBURGH | 82
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
1st Half
- The first stretch before the initial media timeout was a defensive struggle as Pitt (8-4) held a 6-3 lead … Jadyn Parker had all three points early … a few good stops, including forcing Pitt into a shot clock violation, also featured a 5-0 run from Placer as UNF (3-7) got within 19-15 at the under eight media timeout … Pitt created a 27-15 lead following an 8-0 run … Jonathan Aybar swatted a shot and followed with a bucket off the glass to break Pitt's run at the 4:23 mark … UNF went into the half with Placer pacing the Ospreys with seven points … Pitt maintained a 39-25 lead after the first frame.
2nd Half
- Pitt held its lead going into the first media timeout of the second half … Hicklen got a trio of treys to go as he found his shot early in the second session … Pitt was able to keep its distance with the help of Blake Hinson's mid-range play … Hendricksen got into double figures after converting on all three free throws following a foul on a three-point shot, putting UNF on a 6-0 run … Placer got to the rim one possession later, bringing UNF to within 15 at the 9:45 mark, concluding the longest scoring run for the Ospreys … Pitt would rattle off a 15-3 run to pull ahead and stay ahead.
BY THE NUMBERS
UNF
PITTSBURGH
- Federiko Federiko | 22 points, 8 rebounds
- Blake Hinson | 18 points, 6 rebounds
- Greg Elliott | 11 points, 10 rebounds
NOTABLES
- It was UNF's third game against Pittsburgh in series history
- Head coach Matthew Driscoll is a Pittsburgh native and had many friends in attendance at the game. It was the fourth game he and the Ospreys have played at Pittsburgh during his tenure.
- UNF has played two games in Pittsburgh this season
- It was UNF's final guarantee game of the season
- Hicklen posted his eighth double-digit scoring game of the seasons
- Placer notched his sixth double-digit point performance, while Hendricksen added his eighth of the year.
- All 13 Ospreys earned minutes
- Hicklen has paced the team in points five times this season
- Jadyn Parker has won all ten opening tip-offs this season
- Hicklen has averaged 15.7 points against the likes of Gonzaga, Washington, Duquesne, Kentucky, Houston and Pitt.
Postgame Comments
UP NEXT
UNF returns home for a quick turnaround against Davis & Elkins Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.
