After clinching a spot in the Atlantic Sun championship tournament this past Tuesday, the University of North Florida Men’s Basketball defeated the Jacksonville University Dolphins Thursday night. 

Sophomore guard Jasai Miles led the way with 20 points on the night, going 7-7 from the free throw line. Senior guard Nate Lliteras added 12 points and six rebounds, securing the Ospreys’ fifth win of six matchups against JU.

First Half

The Dolphins were off to a fast start, jumping out to a 7-2 lead after guard Jakari Spence sunk a 3-pointer. Freshman forward Josh Harris grabbed the Ospreys’ first points after a quick passing play left him open in the paint. Miles sank a long-range effort of his own, which brought the score to 7-5 going into the first timeout of the night.

Coming out of the timeout, UNF grabbed their first lead of the evening as sophomore guard Jaylen Smith drained a long-range effort and Miles continued to have a hot hand, hitting another 3-pointer to extend the lead to 19-10.

The Dolphins responded with guard Robert McCray V driving inside and then stepping back for a quick two points. Forward Kendall Munson was fouled and sank his free throws to tie the game at 22 points apiece with 6:51 left in the first half.

The two sides battled back and forth, but the Dolphins claimed the momentum with a dunk from guard Zach Bell that was assisted by Spence, which put JU ahead by six points.

The Ospreys battled back toward the end of the half, with Harris collecting a layup. Then, senior guard Ametri Moss sank a shot from beyond the arc to cut the Dolphin lead to two points with 18 seconds left. Moss finished off the first half, hitting both free throws to cut the Dolphin lead to 35-34 going into the locker rooms.

Second Half

The Ospreys began the second half with an 8-2 run that featured a 3-pointer from senior guard Oscar Berry and four points from Miles, including a transition layup that fired up the home crowd.

UNF continued to stay one step ahead of the Dolphins, as graduate forward Liam Murphy sank a 3-pointer and Lliteras grabbed a layup and then a dunk on consecutive possessions. With 13:28 left in the second half, the Ospreys were 49-42.

Murphy sank a shot from the top of the key, forcing the Dolphins coaching staff to call a timeout. Murphy proceeded to knock down another long-range effort, extending the Osprey lead to 55-45.

JU continued to fight, as McCray and Munson caused problems for the Osprey defense. They brought the UNF lead down to six with just under 10 minutes left to play.

Moss continued to play well, as he got four points on consecutive possessions, followed by a Lliteras three to make it 64-57 with 6:52 left in the contest. The Dolphins didn’t quit, as McCray once again brought JU within striking distance. JU McCray’s two quick layups, followed by UNF Lliteras’ beyond-the-arc shot, brought the score to 67-63.

Both teams exchanged points until Jaylen Smith buried a deep shot that got the home crowd on its feet. With 1:45 left to play, the shot gave the Ospreys a 73-67 lead and Smith knew how important it was.

“I knew that was the dagger,” Smith said. “Once I hit it and heard the crowd, I was like, ‘This is UNF.’ I love this community.”

From there, the Ospreys closed the contest at 77-73 after two free throws from Miles.

Post-Game Thoughts

After the game, head coach Matthew Driscoll spoke highly of the Ospreys’ defense over the past few games.

“This is the third team now, in a row that we’ve held to the low 70s,” Driscoll said. “The fact that we’re holding them to 12 to 14 points less than what we normally do—that’s been really fun for these guys.”

Miles echoed the same sentiment. He said that despite the inconsistencies throughout the season, the team was at its best when it defended well.

“You’ve definitely seen a lot of versions of UNF this year,” the sophomore said. “When we defend, we’re able to compete with anybody. …that’s the winning formula.”

Up Next

The Ospreys travel to Ft. Myers to take on Florida Gulf Coast this Monday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alico Arena.

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