By Josh Brannock
Using stellar defense in the final two minutes of the game, the UNF men’s basketball team (4-4) was able to maintain its perfect 4-0 record at home. The team came away with a 61-56 win over Bethune-Cookman (2-5) Nov. 29.
With just two minutes left in the game, UNF and Bethune-Cookman were tied at 56 apiece when junior foward David Jeune went to the free throw line for two shots. Although Jeune made just one of the two free throws, it proved to be the final nail in the coffin. The Ospreys defense held the Wildcats to zero points for the rest of the game.
“I’m really proud of our guys for fighting through some adversity,” said head coach Matthew Driscoll. “When you extend the lead, it becomes a free throw game. You’ve got to give our guys some credit for making the free throws they did.”
The team shot 21-31 overall from the charity stripe and 19-25 in the second half. Junior forward Jerron Granberry shot a perfect 6-6 from the line and guard Parker Smith made seven of his eight free throws. Both Granberry and Smith started the game shooting hot from the field, but wilted in the second half. Granberry made his first two shots of the game, both from beyond the arc, but missed his final ten shots.
Defensively, the Ospreys were manhandled by Bethune-Cookman foward Garrius Holloman as he torched the team with 24 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
“He’s a really good player — we knew that going into the game. We thought he was their most dangerous player,” Driscoll said. “The one thing we wanted him to do was make twos. The reason we were able to stay close in the first half was because they [Bethune-Cookman] were making twos, not threes.”
The team’s next game will be the opener for Atlantic Sun conference play and the first game of its Dec. 3 two-game series against rival Jacksonville University. The Ospreys will be going up against a 2-4 Dolphins team that is coming off of two straight blowout losses to ranked opponents.
“It means the most just because it’s our next game. Regardless of who it was, you have to see the next game as meaning the most,” Smith said.
Osprey fans can pick up tickets starting Nov. 30 at 11 a.m., continuing up to the start of the game. The first 1,500 fans to pick up their tickets will be guaranteed a spot in the lower bowl of UNF Arena.
