The Ospreys flocked to North Carolina yet again Saturday to face the High Point Panthers, with both teams seeking their first win of the season. HPU is coming off of a rough 9-23 record last season, but this wouldn’t be an easy win for the Ospreys. Without the team’s leader, Carter Hendricksen, the Ospreys would have to fight valiantly to avoid starting the season 0-5.

Freshman forward Jonathan Aybar was able to get the scoring going in the first half, contributing four of UNF’s first six points. A Jose Placer three pointer gave the Ospreys their first lead of the game, going up 9-8. The even battle would continue, with the teams being knotted up at 17 points each midway through the first half. 

The Panthers opened up a seven point lead as the UNF offense went cold. However, the Ospreys would inch back into the game, cutting the deficit to just three points with four minutes remaining in the first half. HPU had an answer for this, expanding the lead back to eight points. Josh Endicott was able to hit a late three, but the Ospreys still trailed High Point 41-34 at halftime.

Things wouldn’t get any easier, as High Point opened up the second half with two quick buckets. The Ospreys soon found themselves down 17 points just over three minutes into the second half. Following a 10-0 HPU run, Coach Driscoll called a timeout in an attempt to help stop the bleeding. Inefficiency from beyond the arc and a lack of ball security was once again plaguing UNF. It’s been a common theme throughout the early stages of this new season, and could continue to hinder this team’s potential. 

Unfortunately, shots just weren’t falling for the Ospreys. However, UNF was able to narrow the gap down to single digits midway through the second half. Any momentum gained from a powerful dunk by Josh Endicott was erased by a subsequent technical foul. Emmanuel Adedoyin was able to knock down a three and cut the lead to 11 points, but High Point had yet another response. 

Once the Panthers opened up their lead to double digits, UNF just couldn’t close back in. High Point held on to win 85-74, picking up their first win of the season. Meanwhile, the Ospreys fall to a disappointing 0-5 record. While not all hope is lost, this was one of the games on the non-conference slate that was looked at as a winnable game. 

The Ospreys return to Jacksonville on Monday to play their home opener against Florida Atlantic at 7 PM ET. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

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