The Jacksonville University men’s basketball team played their third game in six days on Saturday, all on the road.
It was a stretch that finished in Athens, Ga., against the Georgia Bulldogs and perhaps the fatigue set in as UGA shot 66.7 percent (36 of 54) overall, 58.3 percent on 3-point shots (14- of 24) and out-rebounded the Dolphins 33-23 in a 102-56 victory at Stegemann Coliseum.
It was the Dolphins’ fewest rebounds in one game since Jan. 18, 2022, when they had 22 in a loss at Liberty. No JU player had more than three rebounds against the Bulldogs.
Junior guard Robert McCray, who entered the game tied for third in scoring in the ASUN at 17.4 points per game, had a season-low of three points. He was coming off his fourth 20-point game of the season against Siena and over the previous three games, he averaged 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Junior guard Zach Bell and senior forward Kendall Munson had 11 points each to lead JU. Dakota Leffew led six players in double figures for Georgia with 16 points and added eight assists
JU, which upset Virginia Tech on Nov. 20, split two games in the Fort Myers Tip Off earlier in the week, the first a 90-89 overtime loss to Mercer in which the Dolphins had a 16-point lead with 17:30 left and a 10-point edge with 7:59 remaining.
The Dolphins led 74-71 when Munson missed the back end of a two-shot free throw with 13 seconds left. Brady Shoulders hit a 3-pointer eight seconds later to send the game to overtime.
JU’s last lead in overtime was 84-83 with 1:19 left. Mercer’s Ahmad Robinson hit a 3-pointer and Tyler Johnson made four foul shots in the final 12 seconds.
McCray had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Stephon Payne III had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
JU rebounded by beating Siena 75-64 the next day as McCray had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Men’s roundup: Ospreys win on the road
North Florida (5-3): The Ospreys outlasted host Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 78-73 on Friday in the first meeting between the two teams. Freshman forward Josh Harris led five players in double figures with 20 points, making 9 of 11 from the floor and adding nine rebounds. Senior guard Nate Lliteras had 13 points and seven rebounds and sophomore guard Jasai Miles posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The game had 10 times and 13 lead changes. … Two days later, UNF lost 103-72 at Nebraska. Lliteras, playing in his native state, had 17 points and five rebounds and made 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Miles had 14 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Jaylen Smith had 12 points and six assists. The Cornhuskers shot 58 percent for the game.
Edward Waters (5-3, 1-0 in SIAC): The matchup between two transfers who left the First Coast and returned to area NCAA Division II schools didn’t materialize at the Adams-Jenkins Center. Senior guard Ja’Kobe Williams (Paxon) had eight points and four rebounds for the Tigers and junior forward Jaylen Jordan (Hilliard) has his streak of double-double games snapped at five with 11 points and five rebounds for Flagler as EWU won 83-69. Senior guard Prince Davies III led the Tigers with 17 points and freshman guard Josiah Shackelford led the Saints with 21 off the bench. … The Tigers won their SIAC opener on Saturday at Central State (Ohio), 78-71. Central led 69-66 with 2:42 left but junior guard Trevino Glover made two 3-pointers and freshman forward Myles Hosten scored the final five points for EWU in a 12-2 closing run. Williams had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Flagler (4-2): The Saints open their Peach Belt Conference schedule on Saturday at home against Georgia Southwestern – Jordan’s former team. Flagler is 16-8 lifetime against GSW and has won nine of the last 11.
Trinity Baptist (0-3): The Eagles lost a wild 142-93 game at Ave Maria, as the host team shot 60.2 percent and had eight players in double figures. Sophomore guard Diego Fernandez led Trinity with 23 points and six rebounds.
This week’s games
Dec. 2
Edward Waters at Kentucky State, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3
Trinity Baptist at Florida Gateway, 7 p.m.
Dec. 5
Warner at North Florida, 7 p.m.
Florida Tech at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
Champion Christian at Trinity Baptist, 8 p.m.
Dec. 7
North Florida at Georgia Southern, time not determined
Georgia Southwestern at Flagler, 3:30 p.m.
Ave Maria at Trinity Baptist, 4 p.m.
Women’s roundup: Ospreys snap losing streak
UNF (2-6): The issue for the Ospreys has been slow starts. In their six losses before beating Samford 79-71 on Saturday at UNF Arena in the second game of the North Florida Invitational, UNF shot 17 of 71 (23.9 percent) from the floor and 5 of 33 (15.1 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc in first periods combined. Over the remaining three periods, UNF shot 37.9 percent overall and 31.6 on 3-point attempts.
The Ospreys didn’t shoot much better at the start against Samford (4 of 15 in the first quarter), but they made 9 of 13 shots in the second period and shot 50 percent the rest of the game. Freshman forward Jasmynne Gibson led five players in double figures with 20 points, senior guard Jaszmine Spencer had 14 and junior guard Helena Rafnsdottir and freshman forward Nicole Carenno had 13 each. Spencer had 20 points and senior guard Kaila Rougier added 11 rebounds in a 76-61 loss to Coppin State.
Jacksonville (5-3): The Dolphins rebounded from a lopsided loss to Mississippi State on Nov. 24 to win twice at Swisher Gym, beating Mercer 74-49 three days later and then outscoring Hofstra 22-9 in the second period on the way to an 84-70 victory on Saturday.
Sophomore forward Saniyah Craig, who tied the school record with 20 rebounds in one game against Florida A&M on Nov. 18, had double-doubles in both games last week, with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Mercer and 17 points and 16 rebounds versus Hofstra. Senior guard Priscilla Williams also had a double-double against Hofstra, with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Edyn Battle led with 26 points, making 14 of 16 from the foul line.
Flagler (2-4): Junior forward Marley Smith came off the bench to score 22 points and add 10 rebounds as the Saints rebounded from a four-game losing streak to beat Southern Wesleyan 76-56 in Central, S.C. Smith made 9 of 10 free throws. Senior guard Sharale McCormack had 18 points and senior guard Destiny McClendon had 14, making 12 of 12 from the foul line. As a team, the Saints made 33 of 37 from the line (86.5 percent). … Flagler will be trying to break an eight-game losing streak against Georgia Southwestern on Saturday in their Peach Belt opener at home.
Edward Waters (3-2, 0-1 in SIAC): After shooting 48.8 percent in the first three periods and trailing only 53-52 entering the fourth, the Tigers shot 3 of 16 in the final 10 minutes and lost their SIAC opener at Central State (Ohio) 66-61. There were 12 ties and 12 lead changes. Junior guard Mia Morel led the Tigers with 16 points.
Trinity Baptist (0-6): The Eagles were idle last week.
This week’s games
Dec. 2
Edward Waters at Kentucky State, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 3
Fort Lauderdale at Flagler, 5:30 p.m.
North Florida at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Dec. 5
Jacksonville at Georgia Southern, 6 p.m.
Champions Christian at Trinity Baptist, 6 p.m.
Dec. 7
Georgia Southwestern at Flagler, 1:30 p.m.
North Florida at Florida A&M, 2 p.m.
Trinity Baptist at Florida National, 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville, Robert McCray have rough week with Georgia opponents
