Florida Sports Wire

GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit to defeat Jacksonville, 71-69, in men's basketball action on Sunday in the final game of the Spartan Showcase inside Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans end the tournament 2-2, while the Dolphins fall to 1-3. Jacksonville (2-5) was looking to secure its first triumph against a Southern Conference opponent since a 65-53 win over Furman on Dec. 22, 2012, and appeared to be on its way after a Marcel White floater in the paint 17 seconds into the second half pushed the Dolphins edge to 10, but UNCG (3-3) hit 50 percent from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes to cut into the double-digit deficit and eventually lead 56-54. Seven of UNCG's first eight makes after intermission were from deep. Despite giving up an average of two inches and 55 pounds per man on the front line, Jacksonville out rebounded UNCG, 40-34. The Dolphins were 43.9 percent from the floor Sunday. The Spartans shot 42.4 percent. Trailing by

(www.chargers.com)  The San Diego Chargers walked out of EverBank Field with a 31-25 NFL victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) on Sunday.   Jacksonville made it 6-0 quickly after two field goals from kicker Jason Myers.  But after forcing the Jaguars to their first punt of the game, San Diego QB Philip Rivers took his team downfield and connected with Dontrelle Inman for a 15-yard score making it 7-6, Chargers.   After Jacksonville regained the lead with another field goal, the Bolts scored two touchdowns, in just over a minute, from Rivers to Antonio Gates.   After the pair connected for a nine-yard touchdown, Manti Te’o picked off QB Blake Bortles and took the ball back to Jacksonville’s 22 for an 11-yard return. Bortles was 30 of 49 for 329 yards with two TDs and an interception. Three plays later, Rivers and Gates were good for six after a 12-yard score and took a 21-9 lead heading into halftime.  Rivers finished 29 of 43 for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Aft

ORLANDO, FLA. – USF scored 44 or more points for the third straight game and stayed in the East Division title hunt in emphatic fashion by demolishing rival UCF, 44-3, at Bright House Networks Stadium on Thursday night. USF (8-4, 6-2) posted its first eight-win season since 2010 and will play for its first conference championship if UConn defeats first-place Temple on Saturday night. The American Athletic Conference title game will take place Saturday, Dec. 5 at Navy or Houston. The Bulls set a new school record with six conference victories by scoring 44 unanswered points. USF finished the regular season with four consecutive wins, its longest win streak since 2011, and seven victories in the final eight games, its best eight-game stretch since 2002. “We came out with a business attitude. All week we’ve been focusing on us,” senior left guard Thor Jozwiak said. “We didn’t worry about what they were going to do. It’s about what the Bulls do and that’s something we’ve instilled t

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The North Florida basketball team struggled offensively in a tough 70-57 loss to Saint Louis on Tuesday night in Chaifetz Arena. The Ospreys (3-2) dropped their second consecutive game after shooting a season low 36 percent from the floor including making just 5 of 20 three-point attempts (25 percent). The Billikens (4-0) also earned a 46-28 advantage in rebounding that resulted in 15 second chance points, while also tallying 21 points off of 14 UNF miscues. Junior Dallas Moore led the way for UNF nearly posting a triple-double after finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Senior Beau Beech added 11 points as the only other Osprey in double figures.  Ash Yacoubou paced the Billikens with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Saint Louis connected on eight three-pointers in the game after netting just 10 in their previous three games combined. "I thought we did a good job of getting shots we just had some guys uncharacteristically miss some they nor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Armada FC owner and CEO Mark Frisch announced on Tuesday the hiring of legendary former U.S. Men’s National Team and MLS goalkeeper Tony Meola as the club’s new head coach and technical director. Meola, who was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012, takes over an Armada FC club that finished 8-7-15 (W-D-L) overall in its inaugural season in the North American Soccer League, good for an 11th-place combined finish. “In speaking with Tony, it became clear he knows what it will take for our team to become an elite competitor in the NASL and U.S. Open Cup,” Frisch said. “His vision and approach to style of play align perfectly with mine. Tony is a great student of the game and has played at a very high level.” Meola has been a prominent figure in U.S. Soccer since he stormed onto the scene in 1987 when he helped lead the U-20 National Team at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in goal.  Following a two-year college career at the Univ

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 2015 Dr Pepper Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game is sold out. This year’s game is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, Dec. 5 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. The top-ranked and undefeated Clemson Tigers are the Atlantic Division Champion and will face the Coastal Division Champion and 11th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. or 8 p.m. on Dec. 5, and ABC or ESPN will televise the game nationally. The 2014 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game achieved a 6.2 TV rating on ABC, making it the most-viewed ACC title game in history with 10,145,671 viewers. “We look forward to having a full house in Charlotte for this year’s ACC Football Championship game, and we appreciate our partnership with the entire city,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “Our event continues to gain excellent momentum in Bank of America Stadium and it’s a win-win that Charlotte and the ACC Football Championship are becoming synonym

ORLANDO, Fla. – The 66th edition of the USTA Florida (United States Tennis Association-Florida Section) Annual Awards & Volunteer Celebration Weekend honored Florida’s top tennis volunteers on Nov. 21-22, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla. The USTA Florida Male Player of the Year was Frank Vermeer of Jacksonville. When last year’s ITF Seniors World Individual Championships were held in Palm Beach Gardens, the event kick-started results for Frank Vermeer, who reached the final before losing a tight three-setter. Since then the Jacksonville resident has been on a tear at USPTA, ITF and USTA League events. The director of tennis at Deerwood Country Club finished 2014 at No. 2 in the USPTA Grand Prix Men’s 45 rankings. This year he sits at No. 1 after winning the USPTA Clay Court Championships in May in singles, doubles and mixed; and in September finishing runner-up to doubles partner Jeff Cohen, and winning the doubles, at the inaugural USPTA Masters I

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The North Florida basketball team made 11 three-pointers and got 21 points from junior Dallas Moore, but were unable to overcome a second half surge by Louisville in a hard fought, 89-61, loss Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center. The loss was the first of the season for the Ospreys, who fall to 3-1, while the Cardinals remained undefeated at 3-0.  Louisville outscored UNF, 46-20, in the second half and capitalized on a size advantage in the paint to post a 53-22 rebounding margin including 22-6 on the offensive end. Moore collected his fourth consecutive 20-plus point performance, making four three-pointers for the Ospreys, while senior Beau Beech hit four treys of his own en route to 18 points.  UNF shot 47 percent from long distance highlighted by a 9-for-16 effort (56 percent) in the first half, but were hindered by 15 turnovers that UL converted into 23 points. Damion Lee paced the UL offense with 24 points while Ray Spalding chipped in a double-double with 1

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville turned 21 Florida College turnovers into 28 points on Friday evening, leading to an 81-63 win inside Historic Swisher Gymnasium in the first game of the Spartan Showcase. The Dolphins generated 14 steals in their home opener this season. Seventeen of the Jacksonville (1-2) points off turnovers came via the fastbreak. The Green and Gold posted five dunks on the night, three by Antwon Clayton, and dominated the paint, outscoring Florida College (3-6) 30-12. Fourteen Dolphin offensive rebounds led to as many second chance points over the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division I member. "Our guys did a good job of chasing some balls that got us some extra possessions," Jacksonville Head Coach Tony Jasick said. "We were able to capitalize on that." The Dolphins, who never led by less than double digits beginning midway through the first period, shot 57.7 percent from the field and hit 46.2 percent from deep in the f

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Second-year head coach JC Deacon announced the signing of Andy Zhang, one of the top golfers in the 2016 recruiting class, to a National Letter of Intent. Zhang will join the University of Florida men’s golf team beginning in the 2016-17 season. Zhang was No. 1 in Golfweek’s Class of 2016 rankings when he committed to become a Gator in January. He is the youngest golfer ever to compete in the U.S. Open, playing in the 2012 event at the age of 14. “It is an absolute honor to officially add Andy Zhang to our program,” Deacon said. “Andy represents everything we look for in a student-athlete. He's hard-working, disciplined, loves the game of golf and most importantly, he is going to be a phenomenal teammate. Andy brings with him a boatload of tournament experience, including a U.S. Open. We are all extremely excited to help Andy reach his lofty goals in Gainesville and beyond .”

FROM NY SPORTS DAY The New York Cosmos’ first home championship match since their inaugural one more than three decades earlier was billed as a going away party to send retiring Spanish soccer legends Raul and Marcos Sennna out on top. While the 38-year-old Raul and 39-year-old Senna successfully finished as champions, it was an emerging star of the present and future that stole the show. Forward Gaston Cellerino’s hat trick — with Raul assisting on what proved to be the game-winning goal — provided all the scoring the Cosmos would need to hold off the determined Ottawa Fury, 3-2, and capture their North American Soccer League record seventh title before a modern-day NASL record-crowd of 10,166 fans at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium on Sunday night. Reflecting on the way Cellerino (who ironically made his first NASL start in New York’s loss to Ottawa) significantly improved in a relatively short period of time, head coach Giovanni Savaraese said, “We needed a strik

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The North Florida basketball team made a program record 17 three-pointers en route to a wire-to-wire 93-81 victory over Illinois in the team's season opener Friday night at the Prairie Capital Conference Center. The Ospreys (1-0) got 26 points from junior Dallas Moore and 25 by senior Beau Beech in earning the opening game victory over the Illini (0-1). As a team, UNF made 17 of 33 attempts from long distance led by Beech, who went 7 of 8 from the arc. Six of the seven Osprey players in the game connected on a three-pointer. In addition to their strong outside shooting, North Florida had 20 assists on its 35 baskets while committing just six turnovers. Moore ended the game with a double-double after collecting 10 assists with no turnovers.  Mike Thorne Jr., scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to pace Illinois while Malcolm Hill added 20 points and 10 boards. "Really proud of the guy's effort tonight," said head coach Matthew Driscoll.

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The opponent this week brings a .500 record to Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff at Barker-Lane Stadium, but don’t let the record fool you, Campbell’s (5-5, 3-4) tool kit is filled with treacherous trappings.  The Camels feature over a handful of FBS transfers, led by former Appalachian State quarterback Kameron Bryant, but have been hurt by the turnover bug…bad. “They match up with us athletically as good as anybody in our league. They may have 10 or more FBS transfers so they are a good looking squad that has lost some tough games. They could easily be 8-2 or 9-1 right now. They are very athletic and dangerous,” said Head Coach Kerwin Bell. Of Campbell’s four Pioneer Football League losses, the combined point difference is 12. A third of that total happened in last week’s 31-27 setback when the Camels faced first and goal with under a minute remaining and two timeouts in their pocket, but forgot to pack the turnover bug spray. An endzone interception sealed another

NEW YORK (November 8, 2015) -  Two  goals by Tom Heinemann, the second in the 108th minute of The Championship Semifinal against Minnesota United FC, sent Ottawa Fury FC to the NASL title game after its 2-1 victory at TD Place on Sunday afternoon. The match was played in front of a crowd of 9,346 - a postseason record in the league's Modern Era.  Fury FC will face the New York Cosmos, who defeated the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday also by a 2-1 scoreline. The Cosmos, who will be seeking their record seventh NASL title, will host The Championship Final at Shuart Stadium in Hem pstead, N.Y., on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. The game in New York will match the top two teams in the NASL this season: The Cosmos won the Spring Season title and finished first in the Combined Standings o n the second tie breaker (most goals scored over 30 games) over Ottawa; while Fury FC finished in first place in the Fall Season. The final will be the first time since 1984 that the NASL championship wi

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. - THE PLAYERS volunteer leadership – the Red Coats – accompanied by Web.com Tour player Jeff Klauk continued THE PLAYERS Giving Back Month with a special visit to Angelwood, an organization that assists families in caring for the special needs of their loved ones across their lifespan.  Angelwood received a $10,000 grant from the Red Coats this year. At the visit, Klauk and the Red Coats took a tour of the facility, interacted with the participants in the programs and presented a surprise, much need, 15-passenger van to Angelwood. “I cannot thank THE PLAYERS Championship and the Red Coats enough for this amazing donation,” said Diane Tuttle, executive director of Angelwood. “This van will enable our staff to transport the program participants to and from our facility safely.” Angelwood cares for families through a variety of programs suited to each person’s individual goals. They help children and adults with developmental disabilities such as autism;

T he Jacksonville Suns have released the schedule for the 2016 season. The 14 th   season of Suns baseball at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville will see the standard lot of 70 home games and feature reduced ticket prices both for individual games and all ticket packages. Fans won’t want to miss the excitement and fanfare of Opening Night (April 7) and the Independence Day celebration (July 3) in addition to a full slate of opportunities to enjoy the affordable family fun that is Suns Baseball. The schedule concludes September 5 th  and keeps the Suns at home for 11 weekends, featuring Firework Fridays, Giveaway Saturdays and Family Sundays.  Fans will also be happy to see 13 Thirsty Thursday home games. ”Our schedule shapes up nicely this season,” said General Manager Harold Craw.  “We’ve got a great mix of weekends and prime dates and are working tirelessly to come up with exciting new promotions and shaping our overhauled concessions offerings so we are ready to welcome fan

The inaugural season came to an end for the Jacksonville Armada FC on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 home loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Jacksonville (5-4-11, 8-8-14) dominated possession by a margin of 57-43 percent and also had an advantage in shots (10-7) and corners (6-3). Jacksonville goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo had a three-save performance. Fort Lauderdale’s (8W-6D-6L NASL Fall, 11W-8D-11L Combined) scored on an 87th minute goal by Marlon Freitas. BIG CROWD: An announced crowd of 9,083 showed up to Community First Park, which was a new facility record for soccer. Add two other attendance records – 13,934 against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 7 at EverBank Field to set a North American Soccer League preseason record and an NASL regular season record crowd of 16,134 on April 4 against FC Edmonton – also at EverBank Field. MATCH HONORS: Midfielder Lucas Scaglia, a scrappy, bulldoggish Argentinian that has been the Armada’s unsung hero all year, was named Man of the Ma