JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A second-half three-point barrage propelled North Florida men's basketball past Central Arkansas, 92-80, inside UNF Arena on Thursday evening.
Sophomore guard
Jasai Miles turned in a game-high 22 points on 8-14 from the field and 5-10 from three in 34 minutes. Senior guard
Nate Lliteras added 19 points on 7-12 from the field, in addition to six rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
Senior guard
Oscar Berry posted a season-high 19 points on 7-9 from the field and 5-7 from three. Sophomore guard
Jaylen Smith dished out a career-high 12 assists, his second game with 10 or more assists this season.
After connecting on 5-23 from distance in the first half, North Florida converted on 14-18 from three in the second half. The Ospreys scored 57 points in the second half, their 10th half with 50 or more points this season.
UNF 92, UCA 80
RECORDS
North Florida | 9-9, 2-3 ASUN
Central Arkansas | 5-13, 1-4 ASUN
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
FIRST HALF: Senior guard
Nate Lliteras scored the first 10 points of the game, his 11th game with 10 or more points this season. Sophomore guard
Jaylen Smith split two defenders before locating graduate forward
Liam Murphy for a corner three to secure North Florida a 15-14 lead at the under-12 media timeout. Senior guard
Ametri Moss contributed four-straight, finding Murphy for a quick pick and roll before he added two for himself in the lane, to take the lead back for North Florida at 25-24 with 4:35 minutes left in the first half. A triple from sophomore guard
Jasai Miles from the top of the arc tied the score at 31. Miles corralled an offensive rebound and finished through the contact for make it 35-36. Central Arkansas buried a three as time expired to head into the half with a 39-35 lead.
SECOND HALF: Freshman forward
Josh Harris scored the first two points out of the halftime break. The Ospreys connected on five-straight threes on a 15-6 run over a span of 3:12 minutes to take a 52-47 lead. Berry knocked down a trio of threes in the stretch. North Florida continued to maintain the momentum and commanded a 56-50 lead at the under-12 media timeout. Murphy buried back-to-back threes to force a Central Arkansas timeout and extend the lead to 77-67 at the under-6 media timeout. After connecting on 5-23 from distance in the first half, North Florida converted on 14-18 from three in the second half. The Ospreys are now 6-1 this season when scoring 90 or more points.
LEADERS BY THE NUMBERS
NORTH FLORIDA
Jasai Miles | 22 points (8-14 FG, 5-10 3FG), 9 rebounds
Nate Lliteras | 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Oscar Berry | 19 points (7-9 FG, 5-7 3FG)
Liam Murphy | 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Layne Taylor | 19 points, 4 assists
Elias Cato | 15 points, 6 assists
COACH'S THOUGHTS
NOTES
- Fifth time this season with at least 42 three-point attempts.
- It's the 14th of 18 games with 10 or more threes made.
- A total of 39 three-pointers made in back-to-back games is the most in program history under Driscoll.
- Jasai Miles posted his 16th game with 10 or more points and his fourth with 20 or more points.
- Jaylen Smith dished out a career-high 12 assists.
- North Florida outscored Central Arkansas 18-7 in points off turnovers.
- Oscar Berry posted a season-high 19 points.
UP NEXT
North Florida remains home to take on North Alabama inside UNF Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m.
