Sharpshooting Ospreys break record in win over Trinity Baptist

Taylor Smiley

Featured image by: Darvin Nelson

JT Escobar and the Ospreys racked up their fourth consecutive win at UNF Arena over the Trinity Baptist Eagles, 115-39, and broke records while at it.

Darvin Nelson
Ivan Gandia-Rosa scans the floor.

Notoriously known for their ability to hit three-pointers at ease, the Ospreys, appropriately dubbed the Birds of Trey, broke the school’s all-time record of 20 treys in a single game by netting 21 before the end of the match-up.

The Ospreys were awarded a pre-game victory of their own before the team stepped onto the court. 

Carter Hendricksen was announced by the league office as one of two players to share the ASUN Conference Basketball Player of the Week honor, following his double-double averaging 13.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game against Georgia Southern and Southern Mississippi.

Hendricksen is the first to receive the honor for North Florida this season.

To make that victory even sweeter, Hendricksen was the first Osprey on the board in Monday night’s match-up, scoring the team’s first three-pointer within five seconds of the buzzer. Ivan Gandia-Rosa assisted Hendricksen on that first offensive run, and ended the game leading in assists, with eight on the night.

The Ospreys took the lead from the very beginning, ahead 13 to the Eagles’ seven points by the first media timeout at 15:48 in the first half.

“The spirit of these guys and the human beings that they are, it’s incredible. We’re really fortunate to have these young people representing our university,” said UNF Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matthew Driscoll during the post-game press conference.

By the end of the first half, the Ospreys led the Eagles, 66-26, as the Birds of Trey gained momentum after hitting 14 three-pointers. Escobar led the Birds of Trey with seven triples of his own, and a hefty 23 points on the game.

“I think there’s definitely a comfortability about being here, and especially having four straight home games, at this point in the season we’ve never done that before,” said Escobar.

The Ospreys have the best start in their D1 era at 4-1 with their win over Trinity Baptist. 

North Florida continues their quest for an ASUN championship and a fifth consecutive win as they take on Iowa, part of the Big Ten, on Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m. as their first of four matchups on the road.

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