Non-conference play for area college basketball teams is over.
Now, with only one exception, the men’s and women’s teams at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Edward Waters, Flagler and Trinity Baptist get a breather for the holidays before conference play starts in earnest after New Year’s Day.
The North Florida Ospreys had a particularly rough day in Gainesville on Saturday. The men’s team lost to the seventh-ranked Florida Gators 99-45 and the women’s team fell to UF 75-47.
It was the fewest points the UNF men scored in a game since losing 76-42 at top-ranked Houston on Dec. 6, 2022. Florida’s 54-point margin of victory was the largest since beating Southern University 83-27 on Nov. 28, 2007.
Will Richard led the Gator with 26 points and three players had double-doubles, Sam Alexis (14 points, 12 rebounds in only 18 minutes, Alex Condon (12 and 10) and Thomas Haugh (10 and 10).
Senior forward Liam Murphy and sophomore guard Jasai Miles led UNF with 13 points each.
The only non-conference games remaining are the JU women’s team playing at Alabama on Dec. 29 and the Trinity Baptist women’s team playing at Florida State College at Jacksonville on Jan. 7.
Here are the highlights of the area’s non-conference play this season:
- The UNF men beat South Carolina and Georgia Tech and received votes in the AP poll for the first time in school history.
- Jacksonville’s men topped Virginia Tech to beat a team in the current makeup of the ACC for the first time in more than 37 years.
- The Flagler College men won six of eight non-conference games during one stretch.
- The JU women lost by three points at Miami, then beat Florida International, Florida A&M, Mercer, Hofstra and Georgia Southern and won five of seven games during one stretch.
Men: Ospreys, Dolphins limp into break
UNF (7-6): In addition to their loss at Florida, the Ospreys fell to UNC-Asheville for the second time this season, 95-81 on the road. UNF was out-rebounded 40-27 and shot 41.3 percent. Senior guard Nate Lliteras led five players in double figures with 16 points and sophomore guard Jasai Miles had 15 points and seven rebounds. ASUN opener: Jan. 2 at home vs. Austin Peay.
Jacksonville (6-6): The Dolphins lost their third game in a row to UCF in Orlando, 86-66, with one-sided deficits in shooting (58.7 percent to 41.1 percent) and rebounding (26-16). Junior guard Robert McCray V had 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting but the rest of the team hit 16 of 44 (36.3 percent). ASUN opener: Jan. 2 at home vs. Lipscomb).
Edward Waters (8-5, 4-1 in SIAC): The Tigers ended 2024 with a thriller, rallying from seven points down with 1:05 left to send the game to overtime, then beating Spring Hill 96-92 in Mobile, Ala. Paxon graduate Ja’Kobe Williams, senior guard, hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left, senior guard Prince Davies II hit a shot in the paint with 27 seconds left and after a Spring Hill turnover, Williams tied the game at the buzzer with a 2-point shot. Davis hit the first six points of the overtime for the Tigers and he and Williams eventually combined for 15 points in the final 10 minutes. Davis had 31 points, a season-high for EWU, and Williams had 26. … Williams took only six shots but had eight rebounds and eight assists in the Tigers’ 79-62 victory over LeMoyne-Owens on Dec. 16. Next SIAC game: Jan. 6, home against Tuskegee.
Flagler (7-3): The Saints went 1-1 in the Tampa Classic, beating Eckerd 77-67 on Friday and losing to the host team 78-70 on Saturday. Junior forward Jaylen Jordan of Hilliard had his sixth double-double of the season against Tampa with 13 points and 12 rebounds and senior guard Jax Bouknight had 15 points and eight assists…. Bouknight had 20 points against Eckerd and 21 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-79 victory over Rollins on Dec. 17. Freshman guard Josiah Shackelford had a season-high 26 points off the bench and hit 6 of 8 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Next Peach Belt game: Jan. 4 at North Georgia.
Trinity Baptist (1-9): The Eagles closed their non-conference schedule with a 111-56 loss at Palm Beach Atlantic, one of the stronger NCAA Division II teams in the state, then a 118-66 loss at Lynn. Sophomore guard Diego Fernandez led TBC with 17 points against PBA and junior guard D.J. Thompson led with 13 against Lynn. Next NCCAA Region II South game: Jan. 14, home vs. Pensacola Christian.
Women: Dolphins fall at FSU without Edyn Battle
Jacksonville (6-5): Dolphins leading scorer Edyn Battle didn’t play because of a coach’s decision and JU held tough with Florida State for one quarter, trailing 27-23. But the Seminoles outscored the Dolphins 26-10 in the second period and went on to win 97-74. Senior guard Priscilla Williams and freshman guard Comari Mitchell led JU with 16 points each and Williams added 10 rebounds. JU is the only area team with a non-conference game left, playing at Alabama on Dec. 29. ASUN opener: Jan. 2, at Central Arkansas.
UNF (4-9): The Ospreys shot 25.8 percent in their loss to Florida and were out-rebounded 53-35. The bright spot was perimeter defense. UNF held the Gators to 2 of 19 on 3-point attempts. Jamisyn Stinson led UNF with 12 points off the bench and Jazmine Spencer had 11. Jasmynne Gibson added eight points and 11 rebounds. … Gibson and Helena Rafnsdottir both had double-doubles in a 70-38 victory over Coastal Georgia on Dec. 16, with Gibson getting 14 points and 12 rebounds and Rafsdottir 10 and 10. ASUN opener: Jan. 2 at Lipscomb.
Edward Waters (7-3, 4-2 in SIAC: Defense was the key for the Tigers in winning two of three games. EWU beat Spring Hill (Ala.) 55-43 in anSIAC game on Saturday in Mobile, Ala., and topped LeMoyne-Owens 50-42 on Dec. 16 at home. Tigers held those two opponents to a combined 32 percent shooting overall and 12 percent on 3-pointers (4 of 33). Taniah Bowers had 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals against Spring Hill and Blesseth Dillingham led with 11 against LeMoyne Owens, in only 13 minutes. She also led with 11 points in a 58-56 loss on Dec. 19 at Miles (Ala.) College. Next SIAC game: Jan. 6 at home vs. Tuskegee.
Flagler (4-6): The Saints split two games in the Florida Tech Holiday Classic, beating the host team 78-67 on Friday and losing to Tampa 58-48 on Saturday. Senior guard Sharale McCormack scored 19 against Florida Tech and 22 vs. Tampa, shooting 15 of 30 from the floor and 8 of 18 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Destiny McClendon had 17 points against Tech and junior guard Jessica Dowdy had 16. Next Peach Belt game: Jan. 4 at North Georgia.
Trinity Baptist: Sophomore guard Kirsten Joseph played her first game of the season and led the Eagles to their first victory of the season, 56-54 over USC-Salkehatchie on Thursday In Walterboro, S.C. Joseph had 21 points, five steals, four rebounds and made 8 of 11 from the floor. … On Saturday, Joseph led again with 20 points in a 62-60 loss to Southern Crescent Tech in Monticello, Ga. Sophomore guard Ranjala Brown had 18 points and freshman guard Reniyah Clark added 17. Next NCCAA Region South II game: Jan. 14 at Pensacola Christian.
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