Men’s Basketball Drops Tight Contest At Stetson

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida Men’s Basketball fell at Stetson, 76-71, at Edmunds Center on Saturday.  
 
Senior guard Kamrin Oriol posted 17 points on 7-14 from the field, in addition to four assists and a rebound in 32 minutes. Oriol has led the team in scoring in 19 games this season. 
 
In addition to Oriol, graduate student guard/forward Dalton Gayman added 14 points and six rebounds on 5-11 from the field in 28 minutes. Redshirt sophomore guard/forward Mason Lee neared a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes. Graduate student forward Nestor Dyachok and sophomore guard Kent Jackson each added 10 points to round out five Ospreys in double figures. 
 
Oriol connected on an early three that forced a Stetson timeout and propelled North Florida to a 14-5 lead at the 15:40-minute mark of the first half. Dyachok finished inside on an assist from Gayman to extend the lead to double figures at 20-10. 
 
North Florida led 40-29 at the half. The Ospreys converted on 51.6 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three in the first half. North Florida led for 16:50 minutes in the first half. 
 
North Florida ended the first half on an 8-0 run over the final 6:03 minutes. After Oriol knocked down a three out of the halftime break, the stretch became a part of an 11-0 run to open the largest lead of the game for North Florida at 43-29 at the 19:40-minute of the second half. 
 
Stetson tied the game at 48-48 at the 15:02-minute mark of the second half. After Stetson opened a 64-57 lead, Gayman drilled a three to put the margin back within two-possessions at the 5:30-minute mark of the second half. Lee connected on a triple to make it a one-score game at 66-63. 
 
Oriol converted on a driving finish to cut the deficit to 68-67 with 1:50 minutes left on the clock before Jackson knocked down a pair of free throws make it to 70-69 with 48.2 seconds left. Stetson would convert on its possessions down the stretch to reach the eventual final. The second half featured five ties. 
 
North Florida closes out the regular season at UNF Arena when it hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. and River City Rumble rival Jacksonville on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. ET. Both games will be aired on ESPN+.