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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A late 12-0 run sent Eastern Kentucky University to an 86-81 victory at North Florida in the regular season finale on Wednesday in Jacksonville.
 
The fifth seeded Colonels (18-13, 12-6 ASUN) will play at No. 4 seed Jacksonville University (18-12, 12-6 ASUN) in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Monday.
 
After North Florida used a 13-5 run to take a 4-point second half lead, EKU answered by scoring 12 straight.  Turner Buttry started it with a layup.  Jordan Crawford tied the game, 72-72, with two free throws and then gave the Colonels the lead for good with a layup.  Jackson Holt's jumper with 2:48 left in the game finished off the run and put the visitors up by eight, 80-72.
 
The Ospreys closed to within three twice in the final minute and a half, but Montavious Myrick and Turner Buttry went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final 57 seconds.  Myrick grabbed a key offensive rebound with EKU in front 84-81 and nine seconds left to play.
 
Devontae Blanton had a game-best 24 points.  Crawford finished with 14 points, five steals and four rebounds.  Myrick scored a career-high 15 points and pulled down six boards.
 
The Colonels combined for 10 steals and had six fewer turnovers than North Florida.
 
The Ospreys started 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point line and built an early 8-point lead.  Jasai Miles hit UNF"s fifth triple to start the game and put the home team ahead 18-10 with 14:13 remaining in the first half.
 
North Florida led by eight again, 20-12, on a layup from Oscar Berry with 13:39 on the clock.  From that point the Ospreys went 4:50 without scoring as the Colonels rolled off a 10-0 run.
 
DJ Nussbaum, who hadn't scored more than three points in any game this season, scored six of the 10 points during the run.  Crawford had a steal and a dunk before Nussbaum's third basket capped it and put EKU on top 22-20 with 9:04 before intermission.
 
Two more buckets from Nussbaum helped the Colonels move out to a 6-point lead, 29-23.  The Ospreys got within two on three occasions before EKU closed out the half on a 6-3 run.  Blanton's jumper sent his squad to the locker room in front by five, 44-39.
 
Nussbaum finished with 10 points in a little over six minutes of action.
 
Blanton's layup with 13:59 remaining in the first half made him the second member of EKU's 2,000-point club.
 
UNF went 10-for-17 (59%) from deep in the first half.  The Colonels shot 51% from the field and 38% from behind the arc.
 
North Florida scored the first six points to start the second half to take a 45-44 lead, but EKU answered with a 3-pointer from Crawford and led until less than eight minutes remained in the game. 
 
The 13-5 run from the Ospreys turned a 4-point deficit into a 4-point lead.  Nate Lliteras finished off the run with a dunk for a 72-68 lead at the 7:36 mark.
 
UNF hit just 31% of its three's in the second half, going 5-for-16.  The Ospreys finished 15-for-33 (46%) from 3-point range.  The Colonels shot 52% from the field for the game and went 8-for-18 (44%) from behind the arc.
 
Josh Harris had a team-best 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for North Florida (15-16, 8-10 ASUN).