In a game much closer than its score, the UNF women’s basketball team lost to Florida State University 60-49 Nov. 18 during its home opener.
After a 7-1 start by the Ospreys (0-2), the No. 22 AP ranked Seminoles (4-0) were able to recover late in the second half for the win in front of a UNF home crowd of 1,443.
The Ospreys entered halftime trailing 20-25. In the first half, the lead tied or traded nine times and there were 32 turnovers.
In the second half, the Ospreys pulled within two points after a shot from junior forward Arlande Cherizol brought the score to 32-30 with 14 minutes, 22 seconds left in the game.
After leading 47-44 with 6:19 left in the second half, the Seminoles rattled off six unanswered points to give themselves a comfortable lead.
The Ospreys scored five more points in the game including a last minute 3-pointer from freshman guard Jadhken Kerr.
Kerr led the Ospreys in scoring with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while senior guard Jennifer Bowen added eight points for UNF.
“The rest of the team made me open,” Kerr said. “It felt great to play well against such a good team, but it was an overall team effort.”
Freshman guard Brittany Kirkland led the Ospreys with six assists and one steal.
The Ospreys were kept in the game by their physical defense, which forced 26 turnovers and allowed a 42.9 shooting percentage by the Seminoles.
The Ospreys held the Seminoles to their lowest margin of victory of the season – 11 points – while FSU defeated fellow Atlantic Sun Conference member Florida Gulf Coast University by 19.
“Besides the fact that it ended in an L, it was mostly a positive game for us tonight,” said UNF head coach Mary Tappmeyer. “Considering the fact that we were playing a team that was deeper and bigger than us, and also the 22nd ranked team in the country, I was really pleased with our effort.”
The Seminoles finished the game with 31 forced turnovers and 13 steals. Jacinta Monroe lead FSU with 21 points while Tanae Davis-Cain added in 15 points for the Seminoles.
The game was the second time the two teams have met, with the Seminoles defeating the Ospreys 75-48 last year in Tallahassee. The loss also marks the sixth-straight loss for the Ospreys against schools in the state of Florida dating back to last season.
“We executed a lot better offensively than we did in our last game,” Bowen said. “I thought we did really well as a team considering the circumstances, and we just need to keep improving.”
The Ospreys travel to Hammond, La., Nov. 22 to face off against Southeastern Louisiana University.
E-mail John Weidner at asst.sports@unfspinaker.com.
