Chaz Lanier had a game-high 21 points on Saturday evening, leading the University of North Florida to a 67-58 over Maine in men’s basketball action at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the final game of the First Coast Classic multi-team event hosted by the Ospreys.
North Florida got off to a sizzling start, as Lanier scored the first 11 points for the Ospreys forcing an early Maine timeout at 11-2. The Black Bears settled in and responded with a run of 16-6 run capped off by a three-pointer by Quirion Burns for their only lead of the game 18-17. NFU regained the momentum and went on a 10-0 run leading by as many as 12 and by 10 at the halftime break 38-28. Maine would battle back to tie it a couple times in the second half, the first time with a run of 16-5 as Kellen Tynes evened it 54-54 with a jumper with 7:38 left. The Ospreys took over the lead for good on a short jumper in the lane by Ametri Moss, and would hit 4-4 from the foul line in the final minute to ice the victory.
Tynes led Maine in the loss with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Adam Cisse also got into double figures with 10 points and six rebounds. North Florida (4-2), out of the Atlantic Sun Conference, also got 14 points from Moss and 13 from by Dorian James in the win. The Black Bears are now 3-3 and will stay in Florida to take on the University of South Florida out of the American Athletic Conference on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Recap by Chris Lessner
