Jaylen Smith leads North Florida to season-opening win

Osprey rallies for 74-71 victory over South Carolina

Jaylen Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the North Florida Ospreys to a 74-71 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in their season opener on Monday night.

Smith's big night

Smith, a 6-foot-8 forward, was a force in the paint for the Ospreys. He hit 8 of 14 shots from the field and was 6 of 6 from the free throw line. He also added 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Smith's performance was especially impressive considering that he was playing against a South Carolina team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season.

Osprey's rally

The Ospreys trailed by 12 points with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, but they rallied to tie the score at 66-66 with 2:33 left on the clock.

After Smith gave the Ospreys the lead with a layup, South Carolina's AJ Lawson tied the score again with a jumper.

But Smith came up with the big play on the next possession, drawing a foul and hitting both free throws to give the Ospreys a 70-68 lead with 1:04 left.

The Gamecocks had a chance to tie the score again, but Lawson's three-point attempt bounced off the rim.

The Ospreys secured the victory when Darius Polee hit two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining.

Other notable performances

In addition to Smith's big night, the Ospreys also got solid contributions from Polee, who scored 16 points, and Carter Hendricksen, who added 12 points.

For South Carolina, Lawson led the way with 20 points, while Jermaine Couisnard added 17 points and Erik Stevenson chipped in 15 points.

Up next

The Ospreys will be back in action on Friday when they host the Florida A&M Rattlers. The Gamecocks will host the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Thursday.