The UNF women’s basketball team struggled to stop the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, falling by a final score of 89-54 on Thursday night. The loss dropped the Ospreys overall record to 4-12, and their in-conference record to 0-3.
First Half
FGCU jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in the first 2:30, with the lone Osprey points netted by freshman forward Jasmynne Gibson off of a three-point effort.
The two sides battled back and forth with a series of shot attempts until senior forward Selma Eklund brought the Ospreys within five points, heading into the first media timeout of the night.
The Eagles took advantage of several UNF turnovers towards the end of the first quarter, extending their lead to 8 courtesy of a layup from Eagles junior Cerina Rolle.
The first quarter ended 23-13 in FGCU’s favor on two free throws by Eagles shooting guard Emani Jefferson.
The Eagles widened their lead in the second quarter, going on a 17-3 run to finish the first half. The Ospreys struggled with FGCU’s defense, leading to 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.
Second Half
UNF was off to a strong start in the third quarter, scoring 6 points in their first 4 possessions. Junior guard Sarah Taub caused problems for the FGCU defense early in the second half, cutting to her left to net two layups coming out of the locker room.
Unfortunately, the Ospreys could not keep the momentum on their side, as FGCU outscored them 17-11. Jefferson continued to cause problems for the UNF defense with her speed, finishing the night with 23 points, four assists and three steals.
While the Ospreys had their moments of success—such as freshman guard Jamisyn Stinson hitting her second three-pointer of the night midway through the third quarter— FGCU smothered UNF in the second half, overwhelming the Ospreys 34-17 during the period.
UNF would end the night positively, outscoring the Eagles 19-13 in the 4th quarter.
The Ospreys finished shooting just over 35% from the field, including 23% from beyond the arc. UNF was outrebounded 34-29 and turned the ball over seven more times than their opposition.
Taub led the Ospreys with 11 points on the night and both Stinson and Eklund reached double figures as well with 10 apiece.
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