University of North Florida
Clayton State
Ospreys drop Disney Tip-Off Classic finale to Clayton State
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2004) - The University of North Florida men's basketball team ran into a team eager to prove its worth on Sunday night in the final game of the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic.
Unfortunately for the Ospreys, that process didn't take long.
Peach Belt Conference foe Clayton State, ranked No. 9 in the preseason Division II poll but 0-2 after its first two games at Disney over the weekend, came out firing early and pulled away early en route to a 90-72 win over UNF in the seventh-place game at the Wide World of Sports Milk House.
The Lakers (1-2) shot 64 percent, and got 16 points from Craig Butts, to earn their third straight win against the Ospreys (0-3). Clayton State led 26-4 in the first six minutes and 52-23 at halftime.
After trailing by as many as 31 points in the second half, a strong run by UNF sliced its deficit to 13 points with six minutes to play, but the Ospreys couldn't get closer.
Clayton State shot 70 percent in the first half, including 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
"We didn't come out and play with intensity in first half," UNF head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "Credit goes to Clayton State. They took it to us. I was proud of the way our guys fought back in the second half, but they learned a tough lesson that intensity is so important. It has to be 40 minutes of intensity, though, not just 20."
Freshman point guard Chris Timberlake led UNF with 14 points, while Derrick Scott and Riley Didion each added 12 points. The Ospreys shot 39 percent for the game, including 49 percent in a strong second half.
"This entire tournament was a learning experience for our guys," Kilcullen said. "If gives us plenty to work on in preparation for our next game at home."
The Ospreys will take this week off before returning to action on Saturday in their home opener against cross-town rival Edward Waters. The game will be part of a doubleheader with the UNF women, who also face Edward Waters. Tipoff for the women's game is set for 2 p.m., with the men to follow at 4 p.m.
