JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After breaking an early 10-10 tie in the first half, North Florida men's basketball (10-9, 3-1) controlled the pace and held the lead for the remainder of the game in an 84-75 win against Kennesaw State (12-6, 3-1) on Thursday evening.
With the win against the Owls, UNF earned its 250th win as a program at UNF Arena. The Ospreys also picked up its third conference win of the season, as head coach
Matthew Driscoll and his staff matches the mark for most wins in ASUN history.
Chaz Lanier led the team in scoring once again with 25 points, including a dagger three-pointer with under two minutes left in the game.
Jake van der Heijden also stepped up against the defending ASUN Tournament champions with 17 points and five treys.
FINAL SCORE
North Florida (10-9, 3-1) | 84
Kennesaw State (12-6, 3-1) | 75
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
First Half
Nate Lliteras opens the scoring for UNF with a layup assisted by Lanier...the back-and-forth scoring continued at a fast pace with Lanier hitting a three, followed with scored from
Dorian James and
Jaylen Smith...a 14-0 scoring run was opened with a Lliteras dunk and a pair of threes from
Max Hrdlicka and Smith...another pair of baskets were earned by Lanier before van der Heijden hit back-to-back threes to keep the lead at double digits...a Lanier trey and a James layup kept the Owls at bay with a five-point lead at the half.
Second Half
Lanier sparked the scoring in the second half with a dunk under a minute after the break...James nailed another three along with scores from Lliteras and Lanier...a pair of layups from James and
Jasai Miles made it an eight-point lead to go along with a trio of three-pointers combined from van der Heijden and Lanier...after a few free throws, van der Heijden returned with a three with Miles hitting one right after...Lliteras joined the party from downtown with just over five minutes left...in a six-point game with 1:12 left, Lanier showed his wit with a trey that put the game to bed in what was the program's 250th win at UNF Arena.
BY THE NUMBERS
North Florida
Chaz Lanier | 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Jake van der Heijden | 17 points, 4 rebounds
Dorian James | 12 points, 4 rebounds
Nate Lliteras | 12 points, 3 rebounds
Jasai Miles | 9 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Kennesaw State
Simeon Cottle | 25 points, 4 steals, 2 assists
Quincy Ademokoya | 14 points, 6 rebounds
RJ Johnson | 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Jamel King | 10 points, 2 rebounds
COACH DRISCOLL'S COMMENTS
NOTABLES
- North Florida earned its 250th program win at UNF Arena.
- Head coach Matthew Driscoll and his staff tied the mark for winningest coach staff in ASUN history.
- Lanier notched his sixth game this season with over 20 points after dropping 25 against KSU.
- van der Heijden recorded five three-pointers, as he combined for nine treys with Lanier.
- James and Lliteras joined in with double-digit points to have four Ospreys in double figures.
- Miles was one point and one rebound shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
North Florida continues the home weekend stretch by hosting Queens (N.C.) on the backend of a doubleheader with women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 20, with tip-off set for 5 p.m., at UNF Arena.
