The University of North Florida men’s basketball team defeated Central Arkansas 92-80 on Thursday night at UNF Arena, moving the Ospreys up to 2-3 in Atlantic Sun Conference play after dropping their first three in-conference matchups.
First Half
Senior guard Nate Lliteras scored the first 10 points of the game for the Ospreys, including two 3-point efforts to help UNF keep pace with the Bears. Graduate forward Liam Murphy collected the first points not scored by Lliteras on a corner three to give the Ospreys a 15-14 lead going into the first media timeout.
UCA would respond with 4 points to go up 18-15 until sophomore guard Jasai Miles drove into the paint and sank a floated shot for his first points of the night.
The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair, with the Bears leading 26-25 with 4:35 left in the first half. Miles continued to cause problems for UCA, scoring 5 quick points to lead the Ospreys going into the final two minutes of the half.
The Ospreys believed they would be only down by one point heading into the half, courtesy of a Miles layup and free throw, but Bears freshman Layne Taylor had other ideas. In the final seconds of the half, he would hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to extend the UCA lead to 39-35 going into the locker rooms.
Second Half
Freshman forward Josh Harris started the second half scoring for the Ospreys with a layup. UNF continued to exert offensive pressure, going on a 15-6 run over the next three minutes that was ignited by Nate Lliteras and senior guard Oscar Berry hitting shots from beyond the arc.
Berry continued to have a hot hand, knocking down a trio of threes to help the Ospreys grow their lead. He finished the night with 19 points, shooting 5-7 from deep.
UNF continued to pile on points, with more players getting involved. Junior guard Kamrin Oriel sank two deep shots of his own to extend the Ospreys’ further lead to 65-32.
The Bears struggled to contain the Osprey barrage, as Nate Lliteras and Liam Murphy got open thanks to passes from sophomore guard Jaylen Smith. Smith then collected his first points of the night with 2:58 left on the clock. He finished with a career-high 12 assists on the night, helping UNF to close out the win with 6 points late in the second half.
Post-game Thoughts
Osprey head coach Matthew Driscoll spoke after the game about the differences between the two halves, noting that his team was getting “clean looks” in the first half but wasn’t capitalizing on the opportunities.
“I told these guys at half-time, we can’t draw up anything cleaner, we can’t draw up anything more special to give you more wide open looks or layups,” Driscoll said. “Two things are gonna happen: you’re gonna step up and do what you’re capable of doing, or you’re going to do… what happened in the first half.”
Oscar Berry echoed similar sentiments, mentioning how the team didn’t let the slow start affect them mentally.
“That speaks to the confidence we have in each other, and that’s why we’re so dangerous,” Berry said. “We have confidence in every single player. Any single night, any player can go off.”
After a strong team effort, Jasai Miles credited the leadership of the veteran players for fostering a culture of accountability and unity among the squad, citing the message of “intentionality.”
“Everyone makes sure we hold each other accountable,” Miles said. “Hearing that from the older players, us younger guys definitely look at them and see them as leaders. It makes it easier for us to go out and play for them.”
Up Next
The Ospreys finish off the homestand with a clash vs. North Alabama at UNF Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 18th.
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