MBB: UNF Falls to Florida in First Round of NIT
The Gators placed six players in double figures, led by Dorian Finney-Smith's 15 points. Florida coach Mike White announced after the game that center John Egbunu will undergo season-ending surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.
Egbunu suffered the injury in practice on March 8, but played two SEC Tournament games and tonight’s game with heavy tape and a brace on the hand.
The Ospreys finished with a 22-12 overall mark, including a program-best 14-3 at home.
Florida shot lights out from beyond the arc in the opening half, hitting on 12-of-18 shots from that distance. The shots weren't falling for the Ospreys from that range as they managed just four long-range baskets in 14 attempts. The assist-to-turnover ratio was also heavy in Florida's favor. They had 13 assists and only 4 turnovers while UNF was just about the complete opposite with 5 assists and 13 turnovers. The turnovers led to another one-sided Florida advantage of 21-3 in points off miscues.
The crowd was announced as 6,011 which is the second largest in UNF history, topped only by the 6,155 on hand for the 2015 Atlantic Sun championship game in which UNF defeated USC Upstate to earn its first trip ever to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The long-range shooting for the two teams also took on a new look. Florida struggled behind the arc, hitting on just 4-of-14 shots in the second half while UNF improved to 5-of-11 from that distance.
Dallas Moore finished his junior season with a 23-point effort on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, all five free throw attempts, a team-high seven rebounds and five assists.
It was the final game for UNF seniors Beau Beech, Trent Mackey and Demarcus Daniels, three players who have played in all 34 games for the Ospreys this season. Beech finished with 13 points and had 6 rebounds, Mackey had nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from long range and Daniels finished with 2 points and 5 rebounds. Chris Davenport was the only other UNF player in double figures, finishing with 14 points.
Florida next plays at Ohio State on Sunday at noon
