Tough times in Tennessee: North Florida, Jacksonville comebacks fall short in close losses
The University of North Florida and Jacksonville University men's basketball teams both took momentum to Tennessee for Saturday ASUN games.
Their progress was interrupted by disappointing losses that went down to the final buzzer – in UNF’s case, the second double-overtime game in ASUN competition in the last two seasons.
UNF lost 95-91 to Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn., after rallying from nine points down with 1:12 left in regulation, then blowing a five-point lead with 1:06 left in the first overtime.
JU fell 84-82 to Lipscomb in Nashville, after erasing a 14-point deficit with 5:33 left.
The Ospreys are now 6-3 in the ASUN and tied with Stetson for second place in the conference, two games behind leader Eastern Kentucky. UNF’s 85-76 victory over Lipscomb on Wednesday was its sixth victory in seven games.
JU seemingly turned a corner in a 63-43 victory over Austin Peay on Wednesday, holding the Governors to the lowest scoring output of the season against the Dolphins. It was the Dolphins’ strongest defensive effort of the season by far (Austin Peay shot 34 percent from the floor and 19 percent on 3-point attempts).
But Saturday’s loss to Lipscomb put JU in a tie with Bellarmine for last place in the ASUN (2-7), two games behind five teams tied for sixth.
If the season ended today, JU and Bellarmine would not qualify for the ASUN tournament.
Chaz Lanier led Ospreys' rally in regulation
Junior guard Chaz Lanier (33 points) hit two 3-point shots and junior guard Nate Lliteras one to lead the Ospreys from behind in regulation against AP, and Lanier slipped inside for a layup to tie the game 71-71 entering the first overtime period.
Lanier scored 11 points in the first overtime and UNF led 82-77 with 66 seconds left. But the Governor’s Isaac Haney hit a 3-pointer and Dezi Jones made a steal and went the distance for the tying basket with 28 seconds left.
Sophomore guard Max Hrdlicka, who had missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer in the first overtime period, gave UNF the early lead in the second overtime but Sai Witt scored Peay’s next three baskets to give the Governors the lead and made two foul shots with 37 seconds left to assure the victory.
After Lliteras made a dunk with 1:57 left to tie the game 90-90, UNF missed on its last four shots from the floor.
UNF beat Lipscomb 114-111 in two overtimes last year in Nashville.
Jarius Cook's 3-pointers give JU a chance
The Dolphins were in a bind against Lipscomb, trailing 72-58 inside six minutes left. But JU went on a 22-10 run, spurred initially by sophomore guard Robert McCray V (seven points) and sophomore guard Zach Bell (four).
Senior guard Jarius Cook then hit two 3-pointers 16 seconds apart, the second tying the game at 82-82 with seven seconds left.
But freshman forward DeeJuan Pruitt committed a foul going for a rebound and Derrin Boyd made two foul shots with three seconds left to break the tie. McCray missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
The two teams return home this week, each playing North Alabama and Central Arkansas.
Men: Lanier gives an Ironman effort
Player of the week: Lanier matched his career high in the loss to Austin Peay. He played all but one of the 50 minutes in the double-overtime game, made 9 of 17 shots from the floor and 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. He added eight rebounds. In Wednesday’s 85-76 victory over Lipscomb, Lanier led with 23 points. In the two games combined, he played 85 of the possible 90 minutes.
Stat line of the week: McCray has 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds in JU’s loss to Lipscomb.
This week’s games
Monday
Benedict College (S.C.) at Edward Waters, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Trinity College (Fla.) at Trinity Baptist, 8 p.m.
Wednesday
USC-Aiken at Flagler 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Central Arkansas at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
North Alabama at North Florida, 7 p.m.
Johnson University (Fla.) at Trinity Baptist, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Central Arkansas at North Florida, 2 p.m.
Edward Waters at Morehouse College (Ga.), 2 p.m.
North Alabama at Jacksonville, 3 p.m.
Georgia College at Flagler, 3:30 p.m.
Southeastern Baptist (Miss.) at Trinity Baptist, 4 p.m.
Noting UNF (13-11, 6-3 ASUN): The Ospreys have played in five overtime games in the last two seasons, all ASUN games. They have a 3-2 record, beating Stetson in 2021-22 and Austin Peay and Lipscomb last season. ... Lanier has scored 20 or more points in 10 of his last 11 games. ... Lliteras has scored in double figures nine games in a row. He made 16 of 23 shots in last week's games.
Noting JU (11-12, 2-7 ASUN): The Dolphins’ victory over Austin Peay was the largest margin of victory in a conference game since beating UNF in 2022 and it was the lowest number of points JU yielded since beating Johnson 85-34 last year. ... JU is 3-0 against Thursday’s opponent, Central Arkansas, and has won four of the last five against Lipscomb, which the Dolphins host on Saturday. ... McCray scored six points in the final five minutes in JU's victory over Austin Peay and eight points in the last two minutes against Lipscomb.
Noting Edward Waters (9-12, 8-7 SIAC): The Tigers split two games against Allen University (S.C.), losing at Columbia, S.C., 70-58 on Thursday but coming back at home to win 74-68. In the victory. Amari Floyd scored 21 points on 8 of 9 shooting and Goliath Mitchell had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. ... Mitchell and Adonnis Tolbert each had 11 points and five rebounds in the loss to Allen. ... In a 97-74 loss to Benedict on Monday, R.J. Noord had 19 points and Tolbert 14. They combined to shoot 13 of 20 from the floor.
Noting Trinity Baptist (7-9, 3-5 NCCAA Region II South): Sophomore guard Diego Fernandez came up big in a 93-88 loss at Bob Jones University (S.C.) with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Jacquez Anderson added 21 points and connected on 5 of 7 3-point attempts. The Eagles shot 61.4 percent overall and 47.8 from beyond the arc. ... Fernandez had 16 points in a 114-76 loss to St. Thomas (Miami) and junior guard Xavier Rose added 13 points and seven assists.
Noting Flagler (13-7, 6-4 Peach Belt): The Saints’ six-game winning streak was halted on Saturday with a 76-65 loss at North Georgia. The Saints shot a season-low 34.5 percent from the floor. ... Senior forward Tyler Collier had 18 points and five rebounds in Flagler’s 84-80 victory over Lander on Wednesday. The Saints led by 14 points early in the second half and Lander cut it to one point five times but was never able to go ahead. Senior guard Malik Bryant added 15 points and junior guard Jalen Barr had 14 rebounds.
Women: Battle takes over ASUN scoring lead
Player of the week: Jacksonville junior guard Edyn Battle scored 44 points and had six rebounds and five assists in two games last week, both JU losses. Battle leads the Dolphins with 19.3 points and 2.6 assists per game and has also taken over the scoring lead in the ASUN.
Stat line of the week: Edward Waters senior guard Sha’Kawana Brown had 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and made 7 of 12 shots from the floor in the Tigers’ 67-57 victory over Allen (S.C.) at home on Saturday.
This week’s games
Tuesday
Trinity (Fla). at Trinity Baptist, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
USC-Aiken at Flagler, 5:30 p.m.
Lipscomb at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m.
Austin Peay at North Florida, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Johnson (Fla.) at Trinity Baptist, 6 p.m.
Saturday
Georgia College at Flagler, 1:30 p.m.
Jacksonville at Austin Peay, 2 p.m.
North Florida at Lipscomb, 2:30 p.m.
Noting UNF (7-15, 1-7 ASUN): The Ospreys had a dismal road trip with a 60-51 loss to North Alabama and a 58-44 loss to Central Arkansas. UNF shot 35 percent in both games and shot a combined 10 for 46 (21.7) on 3-pointers. Senior guard Jayla Adams had 13 points against North Alabama and freshman guard Alexa Washington led with 10 points off the bench against Central Arkansas. ... UNF is in 11th place, one spot out of the conference tournament. The top 10 teams qualify.
Noting JU (6-15, 2-6 ASUN): Battle had 19 points, four rebounds and four assists in Saturday’s 77-67 loss at North Alabama, Freshman forward Saniyah Craig added 15 points and seven rebounds. Battle played all 40 minutes and scored 25 points in a 71-58 loss at Central Arkansas. ... JU is a half-game ahead of Bellarmine for ninth place in the conference. ... The Dolphins have won a combined six of their eight games combined against this week’s opponents, Lipscomb and Austin Peay.
Noting Edward Waters (7-14, 5-9 in SIAC): The Tigers went 2-1 for the week thanks to a split with Allen (S.C.), with the home team winning each time. EWC lost to Allen 77-59 on Wednesday, thanks in large part to a frigid shooting night (17 of 68, 25 percent) Junior guard Avery Jourdan led with 18 points. The Tigers responded by beating Allen at home on Saturday, 67-57, behind Brown’s performance, plus 15 points and four assists off the bench for junior guard Tatum Hayes. ... Edward Waters beat Benedict (S.C.) on Monday, 65-52, with a 44-41 edge in bench points. Junior forward Lee’Sha Henry had 14 points off the bench and Brown added 12.
Noting Trinity Baptist (6-13, 4-4): Freshman guard Ranajala Brown played all 40 minutes and had 21 points, seven rebounds and six steals in a 75-69 loss to Bob Jones University. Freshman center Madlyn Touze had 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
Noting Flagler (9-11, 4-6 Peach Belt): The Saints overcame 32.8 percent shooting (2 of 16 from beyond the arc) in Wednesday’s 60-57 victory over host Lander. The Saints outscored Laner 20-6 in the fourth quarter to overcome a 51-40 deficit, with junior guard Sharale McCormack (16 points) scoring eight points. Junior guard Dane Bertolina (seven points, 13 rebounds) blocked a 3-point attempt by Corey Santoro with two seconds left. The Saints returned home on Saturday and lost 56-46 to North Georgia, getting outscored 18-4 in the first quarter. McCormack had 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Dolphins, Ospreys have momentum checked in close ASUN road losses
