JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida men's basketball was in a back-and-forth affair in its senior night matchup against one of the top teams in the ASUN this season. Despite a wildly competitive effort, UNF was unable to notch the victory, falling to Eastern Kentucky, 86-81, inside UNF Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Ospreys had the hot hands early, knocking down 10 threes in the first half alone to narrowly trail by five entering halftime.
UNF carried its momentum into the second period and used a 7-0 run to take a four-point lead with under eight minutes left in regulation, though EKU was able to hold off North Florida's strong late push in the end.
Josh Harris tallied a team-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds en route to a double-double.
Jasai Miles followed with 18 points behind a sharp-shooting 5-for-9 outing from behind the arc. Miles also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.
Liam Murphy and
Jaylen Smith added 14 points and 11, respectively.
EKU 86, UNF 81
RECORDS
North Florida | 15-16, 8-10 ASUN
Eastern Kentucky | 18-3, 12-6 ASUN
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
FIRST HALF: Jaylen Smith and
Jasai Miles gave North Florida a 7-5 lead over two minutes in with threes from the top of the key and left wing…
Oscar Berry got his senior night going with a catch-and-shoot three from the right corner and a strong take for a layup that extended UNF's lead to 20-12 at the 13:39 mark…Eastern Kentucky went on a 12-0 run but
Liam Murphy answered with a go-ahead deep ball, giving UNF a one-point advantage with 7:58 remaining…EKU regained its lead but Miles and
Nate Lliteras combined for three threes in just over two minutes to cut it to 34-32…Murphy drained a contested three with 36 seconds left but it was Eastern Kentucky who took a 44-39 advantage into halftime.
SECOND HALF: Josh Harris scored seven points in the first two-plus minutes with three layups and a free throw that shrunk UNF's deficit to 47-46…North Florida showed no signs of quit, as Murphy's hot hand and fourth made three cut EKU's lead to one with under 12 minutes remaining…
Kamrin Oriol buried corner-three for his first points and knotted the score at 68 apiece at the 9:03 mark…the Ospreys took a two-point lead just 31 seconds later with a fadeaway jumper by Berry…Lliteras pushed North Florida's advantage to 72-68 with an inbound steal and dunk with 7:36 left to play…EKU fought its way back ahead down the stretch but a driving layup by Miles cut it to a one possession game with 41 seconds…however, the Colonels held off the Ospreys late push with a pair of late free throws.
LEADERS BY THE NUMBERS
UNF
Josh Harris | 19 points, 10 rebounds
Jasai Miles | 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Liam Murphy | 14 points, 2 rebounds
Jaylen Smith | 11 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds
EKU
Devontae Blanton | 24 points, 4 assists
Montavious Myrick | 15 points, 6 rebounds
Jordan Crawford | 14 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds
COACH'S THOUGHTS
NOTES
- The matchup featured four ties and 13 lead changes.
- Four Ospreys made three-pointers in the first four-plus minutes of the game.
- UNF's defense was stout early, holding EKU to 2-for-10 from the floor to open the contest.
- North Florida opened a red hot 10-for-14 from three-point range entering halftime.
- The Ospreys shot 50% or better from two and three in the first half.
- North Florida connected on 10 threes in the first half and 15 for the game, marking its 25th game with 10 or more threes this season
- Josh Harris posted his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
- Jaylen Smith posted 11 points and four assists, his 19th game with 10 or more points in 2024-25.
UP NEXT
North Florida will be the No. 8 seed in the ASUN Championships. UNF will take on No. 7 Austin Peay on Sunday, Mar. 2, inside Main Flowers Hall at North Alabama.
