Riding the wave: Dolphins splash at Swisher as JU defeats UNF in River City Rumble

Jacksonville University (14-14, 5-9 ASUN) raced the University of North Florida (15-14, 8-6) in the second half of Friday’s River City Rumble, picking up a 62-50 victory against the crosstown rivals.

For a while it seemed like the Splash Zone of Swisher Gymnasium had run dry with the Dolphins starting the game 0-for-7 from deep.

But Marcus Niblack drained a deep ball to start the party, and he kept it going in the second half, banging in a triple right in front of Jacksonville’s bench that blew the game open for the Dolphins.

River City Feature: Jacksonville's Bryce Workman, North Florida's Dorian James stayed true to their schools

“I wouldn’t say I live for that because normally I’m in the first five,” he said after the game. “But I’m a winner. I’m just trying to win.”

Niblack sparked JU with 12 points off the bench, playing with an edge that helped get the Dolphins back into the game after trailing by double digits in the first half.

Robert McCray led JU in scoring with 16 points, followed by 13 by Bryce Workman and 10 by Stephon Payne. It was a group effort as the Dolphins try to position themselves to make the ASUN tournament.

It's more than just beating the crosstown team, according to Niblack.

"This game means more than that," he said when asked about the impact of the rivalry game. "We're trying to get into the tournament. Yeah, it's good to win. But that ain't what we playing for."

A declaration, defensive game plan helped boost Dolphins over Ospreys

Earlier in the week, Workman declared that the Dolphins would win the game. And he lived up to his word, helping his team draw even in the season tally with North Florida.

“That was the main focus, to get stops on Chaz Lanier,” Workman said after the game. “That’s really what we did. We got stops, got rebounds and pushed it on offense.”

The defensive gameplan put together by head coach Jordan Mincy and his staff made all the difference in the second half.

They deployed a trap whenever Lanier had the ball, forcing him to pass to teammates and refusing to give him the opportunity to get a mismatch with a slower defender.

It worked out as planned, with the Ospreys shooting 13-of-44 from the field and 8-of-34 from downtown.

“They definitely brought the fight to the game. And they definitely had a greater sense of urgency, which is extremely disappointing from my perspective,” North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll said after the game.

Lanier scored 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting and Jah Nze scored 17 points as the only North Florida players to score double digits in the contest.

There was a seeming lack of effort from the rest of the Ospreys. It was apparent as they went on long spells without scoring and as they recorded 20 turnovers in the loss.

Playing for something greater: While appreciative of the win, JU has eyes set toward the postseason

In the second half it was easy to sense which team was backed into a corner. JU needed to pick up a win to give them a shot at making the postseason tournament.

They played like it.

A win would’ve helped position North Florida to host a home game during the ASUN tournament. But now, with two games remaining they’ll have to play with renowned energy.

“You're guaranteed two more games, and they're both at home,” Driscoll said. “You know, the table was really set for us, in a good sense. Even after those two losses, recovering with those two road wins. Our path was really nice.”

For the Dolphins, they accomplished one step. And now, Mincy is putting his faith in his players as they storm towards a potential post season berth.

“As you can tell from their answers, they’re a lot more confident than I am,” Mincy said while motioning to Niblack and Workman. “So I kind of ride the wave of their confidence.

“It was definitely a challenge, we looked forward to it. But we’re excited about the next few games coming up as well.”

JU will take on Stetson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. from Swisher Gym.

UNF will face Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at UNF Arena.

Juston Lewis is a Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville University downs University of North Florida in ASUN game