LAKELAND - Chelsea Johnson and Michaela Hawley led a Moccasin rally that overcame an 11-point deficit with just over six minutes left to win a 95-91 shootout over West Florida Saturday afternoon at Jenkins Field. The Johnson/Hawley tandem produced 23 of FSC's final 28 points, as the Moccasins improved to 7-1, while West Florida fell to 4-7.
For the game, Johnson and Hawley combined for 53 points, with Johnson firing in 27 and Hawley scoring 26 to go with a game-high 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Johnson was 8-17 from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line, while Hawley was 10-13 from the field and 5-5 from the line.
Trailing 78-67 with 6:03 remaining, FSC went on a 15-2 run in less than three minutes and took an 82-80 lead on a Johnson three-pointer with 3:27 left. West Florida got the lead back when Victoria Hunt scored on a layup with 2:58 to go, but the Moccasins answered with a layup by Hawley at the 2:43 mark to take the lead for good. During the Moccasin comeback, Johnson accounted for 14 points and Hawley nine. Johnson also had three assists and a key steal with 1:16 left during that stretch.
In addition to the total produced by Johnson and Hawley, Megan Dzikas added 12 points off the bench and Tanja Speaker tallied 11. Tiffany Williams led UWF with 29 points, Hunt added 20 and Jessica Young had 18.
Both teams shot over 50% from the field, with FSC shooting 50.8 percent and UWF 53.6 percent. The Moccasins were 24-29 from the free throw line, while the Argonauts were 14-21. FSC won the rebounding battle 36-33. The game was tied eight times and there were 15 lead changes.
The combined total of 186 points was the highest in an FSC women's game since a 97-93 win over Central Arkansas on Mar. 8, 1996 in the NCAA tournament.
FSC will host the Holiday Inn South Classic Wednesday and Thursday at Jenkins Field House. Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Saint Leo takes on Lenoir-Rhyne and the Moccasins play Millersville (Pa.) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Saint Leo plays Millersville and the Moccasins play Lenoir-Rhyne at 7:30 p.m.
