The University of North Florida women’s basketball team’s season-long struggles continued as they fell to North Alabama 73-68 on Thursday evening. The Ospreys remain searching for their first Atlantic Sun conference win.

First Half

The Lions got off to a fast start, jumping out to an early 9-2 lead courtesy of guard Charity Gallegos and forward India Howard. Senior guard Jazmine Spencer collected the lone Osprey points with 7:34 left in the first quarter.

Junior guard Helena Rafnsdottir hit the Ospreys’ first 3-pointer of the night, but the Lions responded right back with a long shot of their own from guard Sara Wohlgemuth to maintain UNA’s lead going into the first media timeout.

Freshman forward Jasmynne Gibson helped the Ospreys keep pace with her first points of the night on a layup after a quick pass from senior guard Kaila Rougier. Rougier then grabbed six quick points in succession with two layups and a floated shot to end the first quarter with the Ospreys down 22-15.

Both teams’ offensive efforts in the second quarter started slowly. Gibson scored the first points of the quarter after drawing a foul and sinking her free throws. She then drew another foul with 7:54 left in the half, cutting the Lions’ lead to 22-19.

UNA extended their lead with two long-range shots from guard Emma Kate Tittle on back-to-back possessions to make it 30-21. The Ospreys responded with a 6-0 run with Gibson, junior guard Sarah Taub, and freshman guard Jamisyn Stinson, all contributing points.

The Lions ended the half strong with a layup and free throw from forward Jazzy Klinge to give UNA a 35-27 advantage heading into the locker room.

Second Half

After Gallegos opened the second-half scoring with a layup for the Lions, the Ospreys responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Spencer and Stinson, cutting the lead to 37-33 within the first minute of play.

The Lions then swung the momentum back in their favor, restoring their nine-point lead with a layup from guard Katie Criswell heading into the next media timeout.

With 2:06 left in the third quarter, the Ospreys’ offense ignited for an 11-0 run that included 3-pointers from Stinson and Spencer. The Lions stopped the bleeding with an India Howard layup, but the Ospreys had cut the UNA lead down to 53-49.

UNF closed the third quarter with Rougier tying the game on free throws, followed by a Jasmynne Gibson layup, which gave the Ospreys a 55-53 lead, their first of the night.

The Lions started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from Charity Gallegos before Jamisyn Stinson responded for UNF with one of her own. 

The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair, with Taub and Rougier helping the Ospreys keep pace, but the Lions held a 70-68 lead as Katie Criswell and Gallegos continued to cause problems for the UNF defense.

In the final 1:30, the game slowed down with both teams giving up fouls, each side trying to prevent the other from having any clear shots. The Lions ended up breaking the deadlock, as Criswell got fouled while driving to the rim and hit her free throws to put the game out of reach for North Florida. Gallegos added another two points to put the finishing touches on the Lions’ 12th win of the season.

Post-Game Thoughts

After the game, head coach Erika Lambert discussed her teams’ performance, mentioning the importance of getting off to a quick start scoring-wise.

“I’m proud of our team today for showing more composure when the game was on the line,” she said. “That’s something we’ve struggled with in conference play, but I thought we got off to a slow start and that’s been a common theme for us.”

Coach Lambert also highlighted costly turnovers as a big reason for the result.

“Overall, our turnover number was fine, but North Alabama scored on two crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter,” she said. “…we need to do a better job of getting the ball into the paint without a turnover.”

Up Next

The Ospreys remain at home to take on Central Arkansas this Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at UNF Arena

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