CONWAY, Ark. - North Florida men's basketball fell to Central Arkansas, 84-83, in overtime inside Farris Center on Saturday evening.
Senior guard
Nate Lliteras posted a double-double with 19 points, his 17th game with 10 or more points this season, and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes. It marked the first double-double of the season for Lliteras.
Junior guard
Kamrin Oriol added 18 points behind six threes in a season-high 31 minutes. Sophomore guard
Jaylen Smith dished out his fourth double-digit assists game this season with a game-high 10 assists.
North Florida assisted on 24 of its 28 made field goals. The Ospreys connected on a season-high tying 20 threes.
UCA 84, UNF 83 (OT)
RECORDS
North Florida | 13-14, 6-8 ASUN
Central Arkansas | 7-20, 3-11 ASUN
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
FIRST HALF: Senior guard
Nate Lliteras connected on a pair of threes to secure a 6-0 lead. North Florida led 11-9 entering the initial media timeout at the 14:00 minute mark. North Florida went on an 11-0 run over a 1:53 minutes of action to take a 38-27 lead. North Florida converted on 55.2 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from three in the first half. The Ospreys connected on 12 threes in the initial 20 minutes of action. Lliteras led all scorers with 13 points in the first half.
SECOND HALF: An offensive rebound from freshman forward
Josh Harris got the scoring started in the second half. North Florida built its largest lead of the game at 56-39 at the 12:53 minute mark of the second half. After Central Arkansas cut the margin to 10, junior guard
Kamrin Oriol knocked down a corner three. Central Arkansas tied the game at 67 all with 1:30 minutes left in regulation. Graduate student forward
Liam Murphy buried a three to tie the game at 70. After it forced a stop on the next possession, North Florida had a chance to win it at the buzzer with several offensive rebounds but were unable to convert.
OVERTIME: Lliteras knocked down a pair at the free throw line to get the scoring started in overtime. After Central Arkansas took a 74-72 lead, Murphy buried a corner three to retake the lead in a back and forth opening two minutes. Oriol knocked down a corner three to cut it to a one-score game at 81-80 with 59.8 seconds left in overtime. North Florida forced a turnover on the next possession, but Central Arkansas forced late stops and converted on its free throws until the eventual final.
LEADERS BY THE NUMBERS
UNF
Nate Lliteras | 19 points, 11 rebounds
Kamrin Oriol | 18 points
Jaylen Smith | 9 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds
UCA
Michael Evbagharu | 23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists
Cole McCormick | 19 points
Brayden Fagbemi | 16 points, 7 assists
COACH'S THOUGHTS
NOTES
- North Florida connected on 12 threes in the first half and finished with a season-high tying 20 threes.
- UNF converted on 55.2 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from three in the first half
- Lliteras finished with 19 points, his 17th game with 10 or more points this season.
- Oriol added 18 points on 6-12 from three, his 11th game with 10 or more points off the bench this season.
- It was the third overtime game that North Florida has played in this season.
- North Florida assisted on 24 of 28 made field goals.
UP NEXT
North Florida concludes its three-game road stint when it travels to Deland, Fla., to tip off with Stetson inside Edmunds Center on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.
