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.
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.
BY THE NUMBERS
NORTH FLORIDA
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
UP NEXT
UNF plays its final road game of the regular season Saturday at Austin Peay.
