The University of North Florida men’s basketball team lost 69-90 to Austin Peay in the first round of the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) conference tournament on Sunday, ending their season abruptly after they were unable to maintain their early momentum. Graduate forward Liam Murphy collected 16 points and 2 rebounds in the losing effort, while sophomore guard Jasai Miles grabbed 15 points and 8 rebounds.
First Half
The Ospreys started strong, with a 10-0 run to open play that was fueled by freshman forward Josh Harris, who posted four points and four rebounds during the stretch.
After the Governors collected their first points, sophomore guard Jaylen Smith collected the first 3-pointer of the night for UNF and also got fouled in the process. He converted on the four point play and then blocked a shot on the other end of the floor. His points gave UNF a 15-4 lead at the 13:40 mark.
Everything went right for the Ospreys as they extended their lead. Liam Murphy sank a layup after a quick pass from senior guard Ametri Moss going into the first media timeout of the night to give UNF a 25-13 lead.
The Ospreys continued to soar out of the timeout, putting pressure on Austin Peay with a 13-0 run that featured multiple Murphy shots from beyond the arc. His shooting powered the Ospreys to their largest lead of the night at 31-13 with 8:05 left in the first half.
From there, Austin Peay began to slowly whittle down the Osprey lead. The charge was led by Governors forward Darius Dawson and guard Isaac Haney, both of whom proved to be difficult for the Osprey defense to stop. Haney drained two deep shots late in the first half, including a buzzer beater to cut the UNF lead to 45-38 and give the Governors momentum going into the locker rooms.
Second Half
Austin Peay brought that momentum into the second half, turning the game into a back and forth affair early in the period. Haney hit a jumper with 18:05 left in the contest to bring the Osprey lead down to four, followed by a Dawson layup to trim the lead down to just two. The Ospreys responded courtesy of a Jaylen Smith long range effort to make it 53-48.
The Governors fought back, putting together a 9-0 run that saw them take their first lead of the contest with a driving layup from guard LJ Thomas. Senior guard Nate Lliteras gave the Ospreys the lead back soon after with a hook shot in the paint, but Austin Peay responded with two straight 3-pointers from forward Tate McCubbin to put UNF down by five.
Dawson and Thomas kept the Osprey defense off balance and continued to score as the Governors slowly extended their lead. By the time the next major break in play came (due to Thomas vomiting on the court), UNF was down 69-76 with 5:43 left in the contest.
The Osprey offense failed to record another basket after this, as the Governors piled on more points from Thomas, Dawson and Haney, sealing the win with ease, marking the end of what was once a promising campaign for the Ospreys.
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