Jacksonville, Fla. – Coming off a disappointing performance in its season opener on Friday, the University of North Florida women’s basketball team hopes to boost its intensity and set a higher level of play when No. 21 Florida State visits UNF Arena for the Lady Ospreys’ home opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Part of the NCAA’s “Pack the House” Challenge, Tuesday night’s contest will mark the second-ever meeting between UNF and the Seminoles and can be viewed live on ASUN.TV. Last season, FSU defeated the Lady Ospreys in Tallahassee, Fla., 75-48, in both teams’ season opener.
In the 2008-09 season opener at Bethune-Cookman, second-half shooting struggles undid the Lady Ospreys and gave the Lady Wildcats a 68-56 win. After a .400 first-half shooting percentage (.556 percentage from behind the 3-point line) and a one-point deficit at halftime, UNF connected on just .222 percent of its shots in the second half, scoring 22 points after the break.
The Lady Wildcats opened the second half on a 10-2 run, pushing the score to 45-36 in the early minutes of the second half. Shooting almost 60 percent from the field and more than 55 percent from beyond the arc, Bethune-Cookman withstood a late Lady Osprey rally that pulled UNF within 10 after the Lady Wildcats had built an 18-point edge.
On Sunday, the Seminoles opened their season with an 81-62 victory over fellow Atlantic Sun Conference member Florida Gulf Coast, which knocked off Florida in its season opener. Jacinta Monroe led Florida State in its 15th-straight season-opening win by posting her ninth career double-double, scoring 15 points and snagging 12 rebounds.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 18 – 7 p.m.
Where: UNF Arena
Admission: Adult -- $5; Seniors (55+)/Youth (13-17) -- $3; See promotions below.
UNF’s Record: 0-1
Florida State’s Record: 1-0
Series: Florida State leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: FSU won 75-48 (in Tallahassee, Fla., on 11/11/07)
Who’s Hot: Four freshmen posted top numbers in the team’s season opener at Bethune-Cookman … Jadhken Kerr paced the Lady Ospreys with 12 points, scoring all from behind the arc … she knocked down four of her six tries from long range, and has drained nine shots from 3-point land as a Lady Ospreys (including exhibition game) … Kayla Mobley topped the team on the glass, collecting seven rebounds, and added seven points – the same number that redshirt freshman Rachelle Rasley scored … Brittany Kirkland finished with a team-second best eight points on a 4-for-6 shooting performance.
Quoting Coach Tappmeyer: “We were disappointed with our performance on defense against Bethune-Cookman. Our focus has been on ourselves these past two days of practice, and bringing our defensive intensity to the level it needs to be every game. We must worry about ourselves right now and use our game against Florida State as an indicator of our intensity.”
Gameday Notables: UNF begins its final season of the four-year transition into Division I … the Lady Ospreys have dropped their season opener the last three seasons … the team opened the 2006-07 season at Florida and the 2007-08 season at Florida State … the Lady Ospreys have lost their first two games of the season only once in program history (2007-08 to Florida State and Central Florida) … junior Shennette Sheffield finished the 2007-08 season in strong form, scoring in double figures in four of the final seven games and pulling down at least six rebounds in the team’s last six outings … Sheffield started UNF’s season opener and is expected to be in the starting lineup again on Tuesday … the Lady Ospreys are coming off their best finish since entering the transitional period, finishing with a 13-16 overall record and 8-8 A-Sun record in 2007-08 … Bowen and Guldager will steer the program once again, having been with the team through every season of the reclassification process.
Promotions: NCAA “Pack the House” Challenge – schools around the country participate and compete against other conference schools to see who can bring in the most fans … UNF Employee Night – all UNF faculty and staff receive free admission with UNF I.D. and a faculty staff/appreciation reception will be held upstairs, sponsored by P.F. Chang’s … Food Drive Frenzy – buy one ticket and donate a non-perishable good to receive 2nd ticket free … Chic-Fil-A Meal or No Meal contest for UNF students at halftime … SGA tailgate event, featuring free food and drinks for UNF students beginning at 6:15.