JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — Shelton Williams-Dryden scored 27 points and Malcolm Noel added 22 to lead West Georgia to an 85-73 victory over North Florida in ASUN Conference men’s basketball on Thursday night at UNF Arena. The Wolves (9-6) never trailed after building a 10-point halftime lead, shooting 48.4% from the floor and converting 17 of 20 free throws to secure the road win. Kamrin Oriol led all scorers with 28 points for the Ospreys (2-14), who shot just 27.3% from 3-point range. West Georgia’s efficient offense, which committed only nine turnovers, consistently held North Florida at bay in the second half before a crowd of 1,264. The Wolves have won three consecutive games.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — Shelton Williams-Dryden and Malcolm Noel combined for 49 points, and West Georgia used a dominant first half to build a cushion it would never relinquish in an 85-73 victory over North Florida in ASUN Conference men’s basketball action Thursday night at UNF Arena. The visiting Wolves, now 9-6 overall, seized control early with efficient offense and disruptive defense, taking a 10-point lead into halftime and leading by as many as 18 in the second half before a late North Florida push narrowed the final margin. West Georgia’s first-half performance proved decisive. The Wolves shot 48.4% from the field before the break and capitalized on North Florida’s offensive struggles, holding the Ospreys to 36 points on 28.6% shooting from three-point range. The Wolves also forced eight first-half turnovers, converting them into nine points. Williams-Dryden, a 6-foot-6 forward from Milwaukee, was a consistent force, finishing with a game-high 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting. He added eight rebounds. His frontcourt partner, Josh Smith of Chicago, contributed 22 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, and four assists. The backcourt catalyst was Noel, a 5-foot-11 guard from Peachtree City, Georgia. He scored 22 points, dished out four assists, and came up with three steals. His back-to-back three-pointers midway through the first half, the second a four-point play, helped stretch an early lead and stifle Osprey momentum. North Florida, which fell to 2-14, was led by a stellar 28-point effort from Kamrin Oriol. The guard from St. Petersburg played 38 minutes, adding four assists. Dalton Gayman provided a spark off the bench with 16 points, but the Ospreys could not overcome a cold shooting night from deep, finishing 9 of 33 from beyond the arc. The most critical sequence of the game came late in the first half, turning a competitive contest into a double-digit Wolves advantage. Leading 31-28 with under five minutes remaining, West Georgia closed the half on a 15-8 run. The surge was fueled by defense and timely shooting. Smith drew a foul on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws, and after a North Florida turnover, Noel found Smith for a three-pointer to push the lead to nine. After an Oriol layup for North Florida, the Wolves answered again. Kenneth Chime blocked a shot on one end, leading to a transition opportunity that ended with Noel feeding Smith for another three-pointer at the buzzer, sending West Georgia into the locker room with a 46-36 lead and all the momentum. The Wolves carried that energy into the second half, quickly extending the lead. A Williams-Dryden jumper, a Smith steal and dunk, and a Williams-Dryden tip-in highlighted a run that gave West Georgia its largest lead at 60-42 with 12:40 to play. North Florida made several attempts to rally, primarily through Oriol and Gayman. A 9-2 Ospreys run, capped by a Gayman three-pointer, cut the deficit to 61-51 with just over six minutes left. Each time the home team threatened, however, West Georgia had an answer, usually from Williams-Dryden in the paint or Noel at the free-throw line. The Wolves sealed the game by making 11 of 12 free throws in the final three minutes. Statistically, West Georgia’s efficiency told the story. The Wolves scored 85 points on just 72 possessions, an offensive rating of 117.2, while North Florida managed 73 points on 73 possessions for a rating of 99.7. West Georgia also won the battle at the charity stripe, making 17 of 20 attempts compared to North Florida’s 8 of 11. Defensively, West Georgia’s length inside was a factor, recording four blocks, two each from Chime and JaVar Daniel. The Wolves also tallied eight steals, leading to a 15-14 edge in points off turnovers. The announced attendance at UNF Arena was 1,264. West Georgia looks to continue its conference success on the road Saturday at Jacksonville. North Florida aims to rebound at home Saturday against Queens University of Charlotte.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — A surging West Georgia looks to continue its climb in the ASUN Conference standings when it visits struggling North Florida on Thursday night at UNF Arena. The Wolves (8-6) enter on a two-game winning streak, including an 88-76 conference victory over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. The Ospreys (2-13) have lost seven straight, most recently an 82-74 defeat at Lipscomb. West Georgia’s success is fueled by forward Shelton Williams-Dryden, who is coming off a dominant 32-point, 13-rebound performance against Eastern Kentucky. Over his last four games, he is averaging 25.3 points. He pairs with guard Kolten Griffin (16 points vs. EKU) and Malcolm Noel (13 points, 5 assists) to form a potent offensive trio. North Florida will counter with guard Kent Jackson, its most consistent scorer during the skid. Jackson has averaged 18.8 points over his last four games, including a 20-point effort at Austin Peay on Jan. 1. Support from Kamrin Oriol (19 points vs. Lipscomb) and Dante Oliver will be critical for an Ospreys squad seeking its first win since Dec. 2. The matchup pits one of the conference’s hotter teams against its coldest. West Georgia has won three of its last four, with the lone loss a road defeat to Southeastern Conference foe Georgia. North Florida’s losing streak includes blowout losses to power-conference opponents Miami and Gonzaga, as well as recent double-digit conference defeats. This game opens a key two-game Florida road swing for the Wolves, who visit Jacksonville on Saturday. North Florida continues a three-game homestand Saturday against Queens (N.C.). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST Thursday at UNF Arena.