North Florida continued its role as an early-season giant slayer, getting 22 points from freshman Josh Harris to knock off host Georgia Tech 105-93 on Sunday in Atlanta.
The Ospreys (3-0), who defeated SEC member South Carolina in the season opener, earned their first win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. They became the first opponent to score 100 against Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion since Duke in 2017.
Harris was 8-for-10 from the floor with seven rebounds. North Florida also got 18 points and 11 rebounds from Jasai Miles, 18 points and five rebounds from Nate Lliteras, and 15 points, six rebounds and five assists from Jaylen Smith.
Baye Ndongo led Georgia Tech (1-1) with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored 17 points, Luke O’Brien added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Lance Terry and Javian McCollum both scored 14.
Both teams shot lights out from the field in the first half: North Florida at 55.6 percent and Georgia Tech shot 55.3 percent. But North Florida was 8-for-9 at the line, while Georgia Tech was just 1-for-6, allowing the Ospreys to hold a 53-49 halftime lead.
North Florida continued its hot shooting to start the second half. The Ospreys outscored the Yellow Jackets 11-0 to take a 66-56 lead at 16:27 and never slowed down. UNF built the lead to 20 when Lliteras drove the lane for a slam, drew a foul and finished the three-point play to complete a 14-0 run that made it it 80-60 with 11:08 left.
Georgia Tech got as close as 12 points only to have UNF use a 9-0 run to expand the lead to 91-70 with 6:14 left. The Yellow Jackets never got closer than 10.
North Florida finished the game shooting 53.6 percent from the floor and made 22 free throws to Georgia Tech’s six.
Both teams will complete the second leg of the Peach State Classic on Tuesday. North Florida plays at Georgia, while Georgia Tech hosts Texas Southern.
–Field Level Media
