Sauey, Januska score 11 each, North Florida withstands late flurry to beat S.C.-Upstate 55-53

North Florida holds off S.C.-Upstate 55-53

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Matt Sauey and Stan Januska scored 11 points each and North Florida held off South Carolina-Upstate in the closing seconds for a 55-53 victory on Wednesday night.

Trailing 54-51, S.C.-Upstate missed six shots from the field in a 38-second span before Mezie Uzochukwu finally grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to cut the deficit to 54-53 with 6 seconds left.

North Florida’s Jerron Granberry hit a free throw to push the lead to 55-53 with 3 seconds left and Uzochukwu missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Brad Haugabrook’s jumper gave the Ospreys (10-11, 5-6 Atlantic Sun Conference) a 54-46 lead with 2:33 remaining.

Andy Diaz had 11 rebounds to help North Florida snap a three-game losing streak.

Uzochukwu led S.C.-Upstate (3-17, 3-8) with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan LeGates added 12 points for S.C.-Upstate, which was 20-for-24 from the line (83.3 percent).