JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball (13-13, 6-5) fell in a tight affair that went down to the last play against Central Arkansas (9-18, 5-6) on Saturday afternoon at UNF Arena.
Chaz Lanier led the Ospreys in points and rebounds, scoring its last 12 points of the game, but ultimately couldn't send the affair to overtime. Despite the result,
Oscar Berry dropped a season-high 13 points and
Dorian James made his 136th career appearance for a UNF program record mark.
UCA 79, UNF 77
RECORDS
North Florida | 13-13, 6-5 ASUN
Central Arkansas | 9-18, 5-6 ASUN
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
First Half
Ospreys got off to an electric start with a Lanier dunk from tip-off … Lliteras scored UNF's next eight points as both teams exchanged lead changes …
Jaylen Smith dropped his first trey of the night before the Bears went on a 5-0 run …
Max Hrdlicka picked up his first points of the affair, sinking a three and a layup to tie things up …
Jake van der Heijden and
Oscar Berry drained their first treys to give UNF the advantage by one … Lliteras added his 13th point of the half from beyond the arc before the Bears retook the lead off the back of an 8-0 run … Lanier grabbed his first trey followed by Lliteras sinking another to make it 16 first-half points … Central Arkansas pulled ahead just under three minutes, but makes from Lanier and van der Heijden helped the Ospreys to a 45-41 advantage at the break.
Second Half
Berry sank a three to start the Ospreys second half scoring after a rough start … Lanier drove in a basket before finding van der Heijden for three to give UNF the lead back … Berry hit a jumper to extend the lead to three, but the Bears brought the game back to a deadlock … Treys from Berry and van der Heijden brought UNF back in front, but UCA responded again with seven straight points … Lanier would score the last 12 points for the Ospreys in a back-and-forth final few minutes that resulted in Central Arkansas squeezing by a 79-77 victory.
LEADERS BY THE NUMBERS
UNF
Chaz Lanier | 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Nate Lliteras | 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Oscar Berry | 13 points, 4 rebounds
Jake van der Heijden | 12 points, 5 rebounds
UCA
Elias Cato | 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Masai Olowokere | 14 points, 2 rebounds
Tucker Anderson | 12 points, 7 rebounds
COACH'S THOUGHTS
NOTES
- James made his 136th appearance for the Ospreys, a program record.
- Lanier dropped 20+ points for a 12th game this season.
- James, Lanier and Hrdlicka all were perfect from the charity stripe.
- Berry dropped a season-high 13 points.
- Four Ospreys garnered double-digit points.
- Lanier paced the team in points and rebounds, just two rebounds shy of a double-double.
UP NEXT
North Florida will look to bounce back with a three-game road trip starting at Queens (N.C.) on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with tip-off set for 7 p.m, in Charlotte, N.C.
