JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Jacksonville University fell just three-points short of a 25-point comeback in the 44th edition of the River City Rumble against UNF, 81-78.
The Dolphins fell behind early but never faltered even after facing a 49-28 halftime deficit. Led by a game-high 26 points from Robert McCray V and 19 points from Zimi Nwokeji, Jacksonville crawled its way back into Saturday's contest but couldn't connect on a handful of final shots to tie or take the lead in the waning seconds.
Jacksonville (13-9, 7-3) has now dropped its past two games at home but still owns a perfect 4-0 conference record and will take that record on the road to Stetson Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The UNF offense got hot early behind sharp shooting from beyond the arc. In the game, the Ospreys connected on 15 triples including 11 in the first half.
Jacksonville on the other hand was slow to match the Ospreys and made just 10 total shots from the field. However, in the second half, JU wouldn't allow itself to go down without a fight.
Offensively, Jacksonville turned it on in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the visitors 50-32. The home team outpaced UNF's 3-point shooting 5-4 and shot 42.9% overall from the field.
McCray led the charge in the second half and finished with a game-high 10 makes from the field. The guard also added eight rebounds and six assists. McCray played a team-high 36 minutes and turned the ball over just one single time. He had just two turnovers against FGCU after playing 34 minutes.
McCray's rebound numbers were matched by both Stephon Payne III and Nwokeji which helped JU outrebound UNF 41-36. Zach Bell and Kendall Munson each grabbed five rebounds of their own.
From the point guard position, Jakari Spence posted an eight-point night, four assists and two boards.
Playing 15 minutes, freshman Jacksonville-native Kent Jackson might have hit the biggest shot of the game. Jackson connected on just one bucket all night— a triple from beyond the arc to put Jacksonville down 79-73 with 1:12 to play.
After Jackson's big make, Bell stole the inbounds pass away from UNF and fed an open Munson for a layup. With 58 seconds to play, JU was down just four.
A McCray layup with 38 ticks left got the team down three but that was the closest Jacksonville would get in the contest.
COACH'S COMMENTS
Game Notes
- The Jacksonville defense forced 16 turnovers.
- The Dolphins were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
- Jacksonville cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.
- McCray set a career high in shot attempts (31) and 3-point attempts (9).
- Nwokeji set a career high in shot attempts (14).
NEXT UP
Jacksonville looks to win its fifth consecutive road ASUN game when the Dolphins travel down to Stetson on Thursday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
