JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- North Florida men's basketball goes to Kennesaw State Saturday to begin a stretch of five-straight games against ASUN East Division foes to close out the regular season.
LAST TIME OUT (vs. Bellarmine Feb. 9)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Despite staring down a 19-point deficit at halftime, North Florida men's basketball (7-18, 3-8 ASUN) exhibited grit and resilience to claw away at as large as a 21-point Bellarmine lead Wednesday night. UNF overcame the deficit and a few missing pieces, using a 15-3 run to get within 71-69 with 24 seconds left. But, Bellarmine staved off a trio of UNF-scoring opportunities in North Florida's 73-70 loss to the Knights (14-11, 8-3 ASUN) in the inaugural meeting between the two teams.
PROJECTED STARTERS
G - Jarius Hicklen (10.9 PPG | 2.5 RPG | 1.5 APG)
G - Emmanuel Adedoyin (7.1 PPG | 2.3 RPG | 2.4 APG)
G - Chaz Lanier (4.3 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 1.1 APG)
F - Dorian James (5.0 PPG | 4.4 RPG | 1.0 BPG)
F - Jadyn Parker (7.5 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 1.5 BPG)
SERIES HISTORY
Kennesaw State | Kennesaw State and UNF have a storied history, having already played 49 games against each other ... UNF leads the all-time series, 28-21 ... the Owls barely held off UNF, 62-60, Jan. 17 at North Florida ... North Florida is 10-13 at Kennesaw State ... UNF last played at Kennesaw State Jan. 2, 2020.
FROM THE JUMP
SECOND HALF SURGE
- The Ospreys outscored Bellarmine by 16 in the second half Wednesday. Jarius Hicklen and Emmanuel Adedoyin combined to score all 22 of their points in that second-half surge.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE
- Jonathan Aybar notched his second double-double of the year in Wednesday's game against Bellarmine. The forward grabbed 10 boards and posted 12 points. Both of his double-doubles this year have come off the bench.
IN A ROW
FREE 99
- UNF is shooting 72.8 percent from the free throw line this season. That mark is good for third in UNF single season history, behind just 2017-18 and 2019-20.
NO SHOT IS SAFE
- North Florida is blocking 4.6 shots per game, third-most in UNF single-season history.
SCOUTING REPORT | Kennesaw State
-Kennesaw State is 11-13 and 6-5 in ASUN play after having won both of its last two games.
-The Owls are 8-5 at home on the year.
-KSU is coming off an 11-point win against Central Arkansas and a five-point road win at Bellarmine.
-Terrell Burden put up 25 points in KSU's win against UCA Feb. 9.
-Kennesaw State's 11 wins are its most since the 2016-17 season when KSU won 14 games.
-KSU is second in the league in steals per game and 75th in the country.
-The Owls are shooting 46.4 percent as a team.
-Terrell Burden can get to the line. He leads the league with 128 free-throw attempts.
-Chris Youngblood is shooting 47.5 percent, the second-best mark in the league.
DRISCOLL CONFIDENTIAL
"We have continued to endure and persevere through another one-possession game, providing us necessary experience to mature and grow as we begin the second go through of the ASUN East Division. With so many ebbs and flows of the lineup throughout the season, we are well equipped to move forward and compete at a high level. Life's greatest lessons are learned by facing challenges and controversy. Just as the saying goes, if it were easy, everyone would do it." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
UP NEXT
UNF comes back to The Nest to host Liberty Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Stay connected with the Ospreys all season long by following @OspreyMBB and @UNFOspreys on Twitter for all of the latest UNF men's basketball updates. Be sure to use the hashtag #SWOOPLife and #BirdsofTrey
