SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After falling behind by 17 points with 7:14 to play, the Spartans used a 15-2 run over the next 4:40 of action to cut the deficit to just four, however USC Upstate was unable to get any closer as North Florida claimed a 63-55 win inside the Hodge Center on Friday night.

The first half was a see-saw affair as neither team gained more than a two possession advantage and there were six lead changes in the first 20 minutes of play. 

Upstate (4-21, 3-12 A-Sun) took a five point lead, 23-18, on Mezie Uzochukwu's (Greensboro, N.C./Northeast Guilford HS) layup with 4:18 to play in the first half.  From there the Spartans would connect on just one free throw, allowing the Ospreys to take a 25-24 lead into the locker room.

North Florida opened the second half on a 15-4 run to take a 12 point lead, 40-28, with 14:47 to play after Parker Smith sank a pair of free throws.

North Florida pushed its lead to 17 after a fast break dunk by Jimmy Williams with less than seven and a half minutes to play.

After Williams dunk, the Spartans would begin to chip away at the Osprey lead.  Back to back buckets by Torrey Craig (Rock Hill, S.C./Great Falls HS) and a jumper in the paint by Uzochukwu, the Spartans cut the deficit to 11 with 5:04 to play.

Brad Haugabrook quickly halted the Spartan run with a layup of his own, but Uzochukwu continued to help the Spartans inch closer.  Uzochukwu scored the game's next six points and the North Florida lead sat at just seven with 3:03 remaining.

After Upstate sank three free throws, two by Tony Dukes (Ellenwood, Ga./Atlanta Metropolitan) and one by Ricardo Glenn (Augusta, Ga./Richmond Academy), the Ospreys held a four point lead with 2:34 to play.

Twice in the final two and a half minutes the Ospreys pushed the lead back to seven, but Upstate quickly cut the lead back to four thanks to triples by Carter Cook (Clemmons, N.C./Calvary Baptist Day School) and Craig.

However the Spartans would fail to get any closer, as the Ospreys, who went the final 4:49 of regulation without a basket, held on the claim the eight point victory on Friday.

Uzochukwu paced the Spartans as he tied a season-high with 16 points, previously the senior scored 16 against UNC Asheville on Nov. 29.  Craig picked up his fifth career double-double as he tallied 14 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, while Dukes pitched in eight points.

North Florida was led by Jerron Granberry who scored 16 points thanks to an 8-for-10 performance at the charity stripe as well as Andy Diaz who posted 13 points.

For the game, the Spartans shot 39.3% from the field but shot just 26.1% from beyond the arc, including a 3-for-16 effort (18.8%) from beyond the arc in the second half.

Meanwhile the Ospreys shot 43.8% from the floor but they connected on just three of their 19 three-point field goal attempts (15.8%).

Upstate will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they host the Jacksonville Dolphins at 2:00 p.m.