By: by Mark Toma
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Markeith Cummings scored a game-high 23 points, but it wasn't enough offense for Kennesaw State as North Florida held off the Black and Gold, 66-60, on Saturday evening at the UNF Arena.
In a tight game in which neither team led by more than 10 points, the Owls (5-8, 1-2 A-Sun) overcame a one-point halftime deficit and were able to lead three times in the second half before North Florida slowly took over the game.
The Owls took their last lead of the game at the 8:57 mark when LaDaris Green (2-for-7, 4 points) hit a turnaround one-hander for a 54-53 lead. Will Wilson and Germaine Sparkes quickly followed with back-to-back lay-ups to give the Ospreys a, 57-54, lead with just over seven minutes left in the game.
Senior co-captain Jonathan Whipple was able to bring Kennesaw State back to within a point on a one-handed jumper with 7:14 left in the game, but that was as close as Kennesaw State would come to UNF the rest of the evening. Andy Diaz hit a free-throw to spark a 6-0 run that included four free-throws as the Ospreys built a 63-56 lead.
After a nearly five minute drought, Whipple would score on a jumper with 2:23 left and Cummings made it a one possession game 10 seconds later. However, the Owls couldn't take advantage of two North Florida turnovers after misses by Green and Kurtis Woods over the next 90 seconds. The Ospreys made three free-throws over the final 37 seconds.
North Florida (6-7, 1-2 A-Sun) went to the line 26 times in the game while the Owls shot just seven free-throws. The Ospreys were able to dominate inside scoring as close to half the Ospreys points came inside helping to take an 18-4 advantage at the foul line. Six North Florida players went to the line for the Ospreys while Cummings (4-for-6) and Jon-Michael Nickerson (0-for-1) were the only two Owls who shot free-throws.
The Owls trailed 15-13 early in the first half when North Florida's Andy Diaz score five straight in a 9-1 run that gave North Florida the largest lead of the night, 24-14 with 8:15 left in the half. The Owls used a furious 10-3 run over the next two and one-half minutes to cut the Ospreys lead to 27-24 with under six minutes left. An 8-0 run in the final two minutes helped the Owls overcome a 35-29 deficit before a three-pointer by North Florida's Eni Cuka hit a three-pointer for a one-point Ospreys lead at intermission.
Nickerson scored 11 points for the Owls while North Florida had four players score in double figures led by Brad Haugabrook with 17 points. Matt Sauey scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds with Cuka adding 11 and Diaz scoring 10 points.
The Owls will be back in action on Monday evening, Jan. 4 when they play the Jacksonville Dolphins. Tip-off between the Dolphins and the Owls is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The game can be heard live on 920am WGKA and on-line at www.920WGKA.com with Craig Corbin, play-by-play, and Scott Webb, color analyst, calling all the action. The pre-game show begins at 7:00 p.m.
