Ospreys Overcome 15-Point Deficit in Double OT Win at Lipscomb

Thursday, February 16

Nashville, Tenn.

8 p.m. (EST)

University of North Florida

12-15,7-8ASUN

114

111

Lipscomb

16-12,8-7ASUN

OT 1

OT 2

North Florida

114

Lipscomb

111

Picture of Chaz Lanier walking on the court

Lanier went 6-for-6 with 15 points in his homecoming Thursday.

Photo by: Noah Thomas

Ospreys Overcome 15-Point Deficit in Double OT Win at Lipscomb

2/17/2023 12:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

UNF Scores Most Points Against a DI Foe in Program History

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After being down by as much as 15 points, North Florida men's basketball rallied back to outlast Lipscomb in double overtime, 114-111, getting 32 points from Jose Placer, a perfect shooting night from Chaz Lanier and a game-winning stepback three-pointer from Jarius Hicklen.

Tied at 111-111, Hicklen shook a defender, stepped back behind the arc and sunk the game-winning trey with five seconds left in the game. UNF withstood a final heave from Lipscomb (16-12, 8-7 ASUN), sending the Ospreys (12-15, 7-8 ASUN) to one of their most memorable road wins.

It's UNF's third win in league play that has come thanks to game-winning or go-ahead three-pointer made with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Hicklen provided a pair of those, while Placer gave UNF another in a win against Kennesaw State.

North Florida improves to 2-1 in overtime games this season and 10-4 during head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure. It was UNF's first double-overtime win and game since 2012 and the largest combined point total for either team since a 119-108 decision in favor of LSU back in 2015.

The Ospreys' 114 points marked the most for UNF against a DI opponent in program history, while ranking the third-most in UNF's DI era after taking into account non-DI foes.

Placer posted his third 30-plus point effort in the win, while five Ospreys reached double-digit points. All eight that saw time got in the scoring column, with Carter Hendricksen surpassing UNF great, Beau Beech, for second all-time in the UNF scoring charts.

FINAL SCORE (2OT)
Lipscomb | 111
UNF | 114

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
1st Half

Lipscomb had the hot hand early, racing out to a 19-4 lead with just over 15 minutes to go in the first half … UNF started to heat up from deep, fueling a critical 19-4 run of its own to tie the game up at 23-23 … UNF would tie it again at 34-34 with an Oscar Berry three-pointer from the corner … Placer put UNF ahead for the first time at the 4:58 mark … Hicklen's third three-pointer on the night put UNF up, 44-43, as all eight Ospreys found themselves in the scoring column … Placer punctuated a huge turn of events with a three-pointer at the buzzer, providing UNF a seven-point advantage at the break.

2nd Half

Hendricksen helped UNF roll its hot shooting into the second half with a 7-0 run of his own, putting the Ospreys up, 59-52 … a trio of Lipscomb buckets in the paint cut UNF's lead to three at the first media timeout … Lipscomb cut UNF's lead to within a possession four times over the next media timeout, but UNF replied with timely buckets to maintain the lead … UNF's lead ballooned back to six at the 7:20 mark thanks a layup in the paint from Placer … it stayed at six all the way to the 4:08 mark, but Lipscomb turned on the jets, getting within 86-85 thanks to a Derrin Boyd trey with 3:14 to go … LU's Will Pruitt hit two free throws, giving Lipscomb's its first lead of the half at 2:54 … things initially looked dire at the 1:33 mark when Lipscomb capitalized on a steal and fastbreak dunk, putting the Bison up, 92-88 … but, Lipscomb missed both of its field goal attempts and Placer scored four points and UNF forced OT.

Neither team had more than a three-point lead in the first overtime … Lipscomb gained a 102-99 advantage after a three-pointer with 1:16 to go, but Lanier made a critical three-pointer from the wing to tie it up and eventually help force a second overtime.

OT2

Jonathan Aybar made the first bucket of the second overtime period, although Lipscomb gained a 107-106 lead after Pruitt hit a three-pointer … Aybar would provide UNF a 109-107 lead with two free throws from the line … Lipscomb gained a one-point lead with three free throws at the line, but Hicklen broke a full court press and got to the rim for a layup, giving UNF a 111-110 lead … that was foreshadowing for UNF's next possession following a missed Lipscomb game-tying free throw … Hicklen got the ball, stepped back, used a pump fake a drilled the game-winning trey with five seconds left.

Gotta give this one another look @jhoop_5 ?? https://t.co/69Eh9nlbsU pic.twitter.com/EgxZ6j7Ss0
— UNF Men's Basketball (@OspreyMBB) February 17, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

NORTH FLORIDA

Jose Placer | 32 points, 5 assists
Jarius Hicklen | 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Carter Hendricksen | 17 points, 8 rebounds
Chaz Lanier | 15 points, 4 rebounds
Jadyn Parker | 12 points, 7 points, 4 blocks

LIPSCOMB

Jacob Ognacevic | 27 points, 6 rebounds
Derrin Boyd | 24 points,
Trae Benham | 18 points

NOTABLES

Four Ospreys shot 75 percent or better
Lanier scored a season-high 15 points in the return to his hometown. It also tied his career high.
UNF has shot above 50 percent from deep in consecutive games
UNF's 44 field goals was the most against a DI foe in program history as well as good for tied for second
UNF outscored Lipscomb, 50-48, in the paint
North Florida's bench produced 11 more points than Lipscomb
There were 15 lead changes and 14 tie scores
UNF had the lead for over 27 minutes
North Florida posted 52 points in the first half, tying its most points in the opening session after notching 52 in the Dec. 10 win against Bethune-Cookman
Hendricksen is up to 1,574-career points, second in UNF history. He passed Beau Beech in that column tonight.
Placer made 13 field goals, tied for seventh-most in UNF history
UNF held Lipscomb to 1-for-10 from deep during the overtime period
Jadyn Parker posted his third four-block game of the season
Lanier had a plus-22 on the night when he was in the game
It was UNF's first road win outside of the Sunshine State this season
Lipscomb came into the game 12-1 at home on the year
UNF is 18-18 all-time against Lipscomb

POSTGAME COMMENTS

Huge win in Nashville - @UNFBBALL goes through the wild 2OT victory against Lipscomb #BirdsofTrey pic.twitter.com/mMqbFIeitm
— UNF Men's Basketball (@OspreyMBB) February 17, 2023