UNF men’s basketball (8-4) shot their way to a 94-72 victory over the Florida International University (FIU) Panthers (4-6) on Dec. 14 in the UNF Arena. Entering the game, the Ospreys led the nation in three-point field goals made with 143, and they added 16 more during the win over FIU.

The Panthers hit first and fast out of the gate in the opening half behind their quickness and length, spreading the floor against the Ospreys. In response, UNF began to exchange buckets early behind three-point shooting ace Trent Mackey.

At the middle of the half with forward Demarcus “Bae Bae” Daniels in off the bench, UNF made a run to pull momentum back onto their side and bring the crowd back into the game. Daniels finished the night with 20 points, six rebounds and five blocks.

UNF Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matthew Driscoll said Daniels gave the Ospreys energy.

“When Bae Bae went in, the game changed and I think we were either down two or it was tied, whatever,” Driscoll said. “But when Bae Bae went in, the game just completely changed and then Aaron [Bodager] is the next rotation, so because of that flow, as a coach sometimes you’re like, whoa this flow is pretty good.”

Before the teams went into the locker room, forward Chris Davenport hit a three-pointer as the clock expired, putting the Ospreys up 45-36. Davenport racked up 12 points, six rebounds and four assists on the night.

In the second half, the Ospreys came out hot from behind the arc. Forward Beau Beech made three consecutive three-pointers to give the Ospreys 64-48 halfway through the second period. Beech finished with 17 points and reeled in a team-high eight boards off the glass. UNF would continue to pull away from the Panthers as the half ended, sealing the 94-72 victory.

UNF went 16-39 from three-point range while the Panthers were just 4-15 from deep. There were five Ospreys who scored in double figures, including guard Dallas Moore who led the team with 21 points. Despite UNF’s potent offense, Moore said the Ospreys are at their best when they get stops on defense.

“I thought we did a great job on the defensive end, actually,” Moore said. “I think we can rebound a little better, but we’re working everyday on that.”

The Panthers scoring leader, center Adrian Diaz, finished the night with 19 points and seven rebounds. Forward Cameron Smith had a game-high 12 rebounds for FIU.

Next, the Ospreys will face the Austin Peay Governors on Dec. 16 at the UNF Arena.

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