University of North Florida
Flagler (Exhibition)
Women’s Basketball Defeats Flagler in Exhibition Play
10/31/2009 9:54:32 PM | Women's Basketball
BOX SCORE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida women's basketball team defeated Flagler College, 56-51 on Saturday night in an exhibition game at UNF Arena.
Sophomore guard Brittany Kirkland led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 55.5 percent on 10-of-18 from the field. Junior guard Juliemay Syquio tallied nine points for the Ospreys while senior center Shennette Sheffield had eight points. Senior forward Arlande Cherizol led UNF on the boards with nine rebounds.
For the Saints, Chanti Beckett had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the team. Jen Mitchell added 11 points, connecting on 4-of-5, including 3-of-4 from behind the three point line.
Both teams got off to a slow start as the score was tied at nine after six and a half minutes. UNF broke open the scoring with an 11-1 run, taking a 20-10 lead with 5:22 left in the opening period. The Saints cut the lead down to seven (20-13), but the Ospreys closed out the half strong to take a 30-19 lead into the break.
In the second half, Flagler came out strong, cutting the lead down to four (37-33) at the 11:57 mark. UNF held off the Saints' run, extending the lead back to nine, 44-35, with 9:45 remaining. But Flagler would not go away and pulled to within three, 52-49, with just over three minutes to play. A layup from Beckett at 2:13 closed the gap to one (52-51), but that is as close as the Saints' would come as Sheffield connected on a pair of layups to give UNF the 56-51 win.
“We have a lot of stuff to work on,” said head coach Mary Tappmeyer. “I think Flagler played really well tonight. They were able to really take advantage of our defensive miscues. We need to rebound better and work on protecting the ball. Our offensive execution wasn't where it needed to be tonight, but it's early in the season and tonight's game helped to show us what we need to work on.”
North Florida shot 42.9 percent from the field on 24-of-56 while Flagler connected on 9-of-20 from behind the arc, shooting 45 percent. The Saints held the 40-33 advantage on the boards.
The Ospreys open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 13 when they travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to face Florida State University. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
