JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball (14-16, 8-9 ASUN) got a career-high 31 points from JR Konieczny, but it wasn't enough to get past North Florida (7-23, 5-12), as the Eagles fell 76-70 to the Ospreys on Thursday.
FGCU led 36-27 at halftime, but North Florida's offense came out hot in the second half, sparking a 49-point period and comeback win. The Ospreys chipped away at the Eagles' lead, eventually taking the lead for good with 7:21 to play off a made layup from Kamrin Oriol.Â
Konieczny willed the game back to a one-possession difference twice after UNF took the lead, and Duax cut the lead to three points with 2:06 to play, but the Ospreys went 7-for-9 at the charity stripe in the last two minutes to seal the win. North Florida outrebounded FGCU 42-39 and made seven more free throws (21 to 14) in the victory.
Konieczny posted his 31 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. His 31 points surpassed his previous high of 28, set in overtime against Kennesaw State in November, and led all scorers in Jacksonville. He also grabbed 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
The Ospreys were led by Oriol, who posted 26 points on 8-for-18 shooting from the field. FGCU held Oriol to just 1-for-8 shooting from behind the arc, but Oriol knocked down nine free throws to help give UNF the win. He scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half.
North Florida had three other double-digit scorers, including Dalton Gayman (15 points), Kent Jackson (11 points) and BJ Plummer (10 points).
Darren Williams chipped in 12 points for FGCU and
Michael Duax added 11.Â
With EKU's loss on Wednesday to Queens, FGCU still controls its own destiny to the No. 5 seed in the ASUN Championship. The Eagles conclude the regular season at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Stetson (10-20, 6-11).
For more information on FGCU men's basketball, follow @FGCU_MBB on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit
fgcuathletics.com.
Postgame Notes
– Konieczny scored a career-high 31 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field
– Konieczny had his third career double-double
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