Box score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ki Conner scored five points in the final 25 seconds to rally North Florida to a 59-55 victory over Northern Kentucky on Wednesday night in the UNF Arena.
With NKU holding a 55-54 lead, Conner drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 25 seconds remaining to give North Florida a 57-55 advantage. After a timeout, NKU's
Christine Roush lost control of the ball driving into the lane, and North Florida's Fabiola Josil picked up the steal with 13 seconds left.
Josil then avoided being fouled while dribbling for seven seconds, until
Rianna Gayheart was able to catch up to the Osprey guard with 5.8 seconds on the clock. That, however, was just the sixth team foul on NKU, and the Norse were forced to foul Conner with 3.5 seconds remaining.
Conner made two free throws to seal the win for the Ospreys, who improved to 6-7 overall, 2-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. She finished with 17 points to lead North Florida, which was 8-for-18 from 3-point range. Conner and teammate Destinee Smith (15 points) both knocked down a trio of 3-pointers.
The Norse's
Tiara Hopper scored 11 points in the first half, but North Florida took a 26-23 lead into the locker room after holding NKU to 32 percent shooting from the field. NKU then lost Hopper early in the second half to an ankle injury, which prevented the senior forward from returning to the game.
Ellen Holton, though, sparked NKU in the second half by scoring 11 of her 13 points. Gayheart's 3-pointer with 7:33 remaining gave the Norse a 47-43 lead, but North Florida used an 9-4 spurt to regain a 52-51 edge on Conner's 3-pointer with 3:48 on the clock.
Kayla Thacker stole an errant North Florida pass with less than a minute remaining and was fouled while dribbling up the court. She hit two free throws to give NKU a 55-54 lead with 42 seconds left, but Conner responded with her 3-pointer that proved to be the winning shot for North Florida.
Roush finished with 11 points for NKU (3-8 overall, 0-2 A-Sun), while Thacker added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals. The Norse shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and 40.8 percent for the game.
NKU plays host to South Carolina Upstate at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
NORSE NOTES: Wednesday marked the first meeting between NKU and North Florida…NKU is now 0-8 this season when trailing at halftime…the Norse are 9-9 all-time in games played in the state of Florida…NKU finished with a 22-16 advantage in points in the paint…North Florida's bench outscored NKU's reserves 22-11, with Conner pouring in a game-high 17 for the Ospreys.
