The week ahead in college basketball: North Florida faces road trips to Duquesne, Kentucky
After a break for final exams, area teams will be diving into some intriguing non-conference games during Thanksgiving week.
The University of North Florida easily has the most difficult schedule (as it did in the first week of the season against Gonzaga and Washington), when it goes on the road to play Duquesne in Pittsburgh on Monday and at Kentucky on Wednesday.
UNF and Duquesne already have one common opponent. The Ospreys had to rally in the second half to beat South Carolina State 72-66 on Saturday, a team the Dukes beat 96-71 five days before. Duquesne also has played Kentucky, losing 77-52 on Nov. 11.
The Ospreys played Kentucky for the first time last year, losing 86-52.
JU’s men play at Campbell on Wednesday. It’s a competitive series: the Dolphins have lost the last two meetings and lead the rivalry 14-13.
Men: Alvarez on target for Trinity
Player of the week: Trinity Baptist sophomore center Fausto Alvarez, a Bartram Trail graduate, made 17 of 20 shots from the floor (.850) and averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three games last week. In a 76-72 victory over Pasco-Hernandez, Alvarez had 21 points, seven rebounds and hit eight of 10 shots.
Stat line of the week: Edward Waters senior guard Felix Hayes, a transfer from Texas Southern, had 17 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, two steals — and 10 turnovers — in the Tigers’ 82-69 victory over Lane (Tenn.).
Noting UNF (1-2): The Ospreys played on their new home floor for the first time, but had to battle shooting issues in a 72-66 victory over South Carolina State. Jose Placer scored 18 points and Carter Hendricksen 17 but UNF was 21 of 55 (.382) from the floor and six of 26 (.231) from beyond the 3-point arc. The Ospreys outscored the Bulldogs 15-5 over the final 4:11. UNF scored 25 points off turnovers and 20 points in transition.
Noting JU (2-1): The Dolphins extended their home winning streak to 17 games by beating Voorhees (S.C.) 91-61 at Swisher Gym on Sunday. Omar Payne had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Gyasi Powell 15 points (with four of six on 3-pointers) and Kevion Nolan had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. JU will play four of its next five games on the road, starting at Campbell Wednesday and UAB on Nov. 30.
Noting Edward Waters (1-1): In their victory over Lane, the Tigers' perimeter defense nearly threw a shutout: Lane made only one of 20 3-point attempts and shot .315 from the floor overall.
Noting Trinity Baptist (2-4): The Eagles rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Pasco-Hernandez and snap a three-game losing streak. Zach Kiadii made all nine of his free-throw attempts in the second half and had 15 points and eight assists. The Eagles made 17 of 23 foul shots in the second half after hitting only two of six in the first half.
Noting Flagler (3-3): After playing on the road six times, the Saints finally open at home on Tuesday against Savannah State. In a 77-72 victory over Spring Hill (Ala.) on Saturday, the Saints led by 14 points twice. Omar Figueroa led four players in double figures with 19 points and Jaylen Lemon had 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
This week’s schedule
Monday
North Florida at Duquesne, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
Trinity Baptist at Thomas University (Ga.), 6 p.m.
Savannah State at Flagler, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
North Florida at Kentucky, 4 p.m.
Jacksonville at Campbell (N.C.), 4 p.m.
Saturday
Edward Waters at Central State (Ohio), 3 p.m.
Women: Bastin gets JU's first triple-double
Player of the week: Jacksonville University forward Shynia Jackson had 37 points, 19 rebounds and shot 15 of 20 from the floor in games against South Florida and Florida International. Against FIU, Jackson had 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Stat line of the week: Seraphine Bastin of Jacksonville University logged the program’s first triple-double in history when she had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 70-59 loss to South Florida. JU communications officials found only three other examples of a player getting double-digit assists in a game and no player has 10 or more blocks in a game.
Noting UNF (1-3): UNF struggled offensively in the ASUN-MAAC Challenge in Dubin, Ireland. The Ospreys lost 76-67 to Rider and 61-45 to Marist, making 43 of 130 shots (.331) overall and nine of 47 from beyond the 3-point arc (.919). Lyric Swann had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals against Rider, and 12 points and nine rebounds against Marist.
Noting JU (2-2): The Dolphins surged late on both ends of the court in an 82-71 victory over Florida International. JU came from a 50-48 deficit entering the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 24-11 in the final 10 minutes by making 10 of 14 from the floor, and holding FIU to three of 19.
Noting Edward Waters (3-2): The Tigers split in a road trip to Virginia, losing 62-60 to Virginia Union and then beating Virginia State 59-45. Isis Smith had 15 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in the victory; and her sister Khadijah Smith had 17 points and nine rebounds in the loss. The two are transfers from Eastern Oregon Community College.
Noting Trinity Baptist (3-3): The Eagles beat Wesleyan (Ga.) 70-44, with guard Emma Parrish scoring 20 points and collecting nine rebounds. But Saturday’s 103-37 loss at St. Leo was brutal: the Eagles were outscored 28-0 in the first quarter and 62-13 in the first half.
Noting Flagler (1-3): The Saints won their first game of the season, 76-61 over Florida Tech, with Sharale McCormick collecting 24 points, six assists and three steals.
This week’s games
Monday
Edward Waters at Clinton (S.C.), 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Florida Tech at Flagler, 5 p.m.
Wednesday
Warner at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Friday
Flagler vs. Northern State (S.D.), Bahamas House Shootout, Daytona Beach, 1 p.m.
Saturday
Flagler vs. Sioux Falls (S.D.), Bahamas House Shootout, Daytona Beach, 1 p.m.
Edward Waters at Central State (Ohio), 1 p.m.
Sunday
St. Joseph’s at North Florida, 12:30 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: North Florida Ospreys go on the road to Kentucky, Duquesne
