Wednesday, March 03, 2010

MACON, GA. – Day one of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship ended with the UNF Ospreys upsetting the host Mercer Bears, 55-40, from Mercer’s University Center.

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column associated with this game here.

No. 7 UNF controlled the pace early in the game, holding No. 2 Mercer scoreless for more than 6:30, in addition to 6-for-26 shooting and just 16 points before the half. Second-Team All-Conference performer Brittany Kirkland led all players with a game-high 25 points, including hitting 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Ospreys held Mercer's pair of All-Conference performers in check as senior guards Courtney Ford and LaToya Jackson struggled throughout the night. The pair connected on only 8-of-31 from the floor in combining for 23 points.

UNF controlled the pace of the first and played lock down defense as Kirkland scored on a layup and opened up play with a 10–0 run. UNF held Mercer to a season worst 3-point field goal percentage in the first half as the Bears entered halftime at 0-of-10 from behind the 3-point arc.

A Mercer rally in the second half caught a celebrating UNF team off guard as the Orange and Black shrunk the margin to just one point with 16:32 remaining. However, the Ospreys remained resilient after Ford’s shot from 3-point land put the home team up by two with 6:24 remaining. In the final two minutes, Kirkland stymied all hopes for a Mercer comeback, as the sophomore guard started a 7-0 run to seal the win for UNF.

Next, UNF will face the winner of No. 3 Campbell/No. 6 Jacksonville on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to all Championship games are available at MercerBears.com.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

A-SUN CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
* UNF becomes the first No. 7 seed to win a game in Women’s Championship. Prior to today, they were 0-21, 0-19 against No. 2 seeds and 0-2 against No. 10 seeds.
* Mercer’s loss extends a streak for hosts of the women’s tournament not winning the event. The last host to win the women’s A-Sun Championship came in 1998 when FIU won the title.

MERCER
* Mercer’s three leading scorers for the season, Courtney Ford, LaToya Jackson and Lacy Ramon were held to 25 points an 9-for-38 shooting. On the season, they averaged 38.7 points per game.
* Mercer loses to UNF for the first time in the last five games. UNF’s last win in the series came on Feb. 23, 2008.
* Mercer shot a season worst 9.1 percent (2-for-22) from the 3-point arc.

UNF * UNF, the conference’s top team in terms of defensive field goal percentage, held Mercer to 15-for-58 from the floor, a 25.9 percent clip – Mercer’s second worst performance this season.
* Brittany Kirkland, the Ospreys’ first player to earn All-Atlantic Sun honors, scored a career high 25 points on 7-14 shooting. In the two regular-season games, she scored a total of 16 points on 7-for-20 shooting.