Featured image by: Khorri Newton

Although they won by 13 points and never gave up the lead, the Ospreys had to fight tooth and nail for their 78-65 win against the Stetson Hatters Thursday night.

Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net in the first few minutes of the game. However, a quick pair of threes by JT Escobar helped get the Ospreys the lead that they would maintain for the rest of the game.

The rest of the first half was led by Garrett Sams. He went into the break with 13 points including a trio of three-pointers. The Ospreys led by as many as 14 points in the half, but the Hatters were able to bring it down to six at the half.

The second half was more of the same: the Ospreys looked like they were primed to run away with the game by earning multiple double-digit leads. Stetson consistently displayed their resilience and brought the lead back down to one or two possessions.

Sams did all in the win. Not only did he end the night with 24 points, but he added six rebounds and four assists. The senior also had active hands on defense, adding two steals and a block to the box score.

Josh Endicott played a big role off the bench as well. The sophomore was a spark plug for the team down the stretch, scoring eight points in his 10 minutes in the game including a rim-rattling dunk that electrified the UNF Arena.

“I’m just in there trying to make a difference for my team,” Endicott said. “If we keep doing what we have been to get us leads, then they’ll keep coming.”

With February around the corner, Head Coach Matthew Driscoll calls the upcoming stretch of games the “D.A.W.G. (Disciplined Attitude Wins Games) days of athletics.” This stretch will prove vital if the Birds of Trey want to win the ASUN tournament and move on to March Madness.

With the win, UNF is now 6-2 in conference play (13-10 overall). The Ospreys will continue their push for sole possession of the top seed in the conference at home on Saturday, Feb. 1 against Kennesaw State (0-8 ASUN) at 5 p.m.

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