LAKELAND - Down by 17 points late in the first half, Florida Southern put together a rally that tied the game by halftime, then scored 60 second-half points to down Florida Tech, 99-86 here at Jenkins Field House Saturday night.
The Moccasins (11-4, 1-1) trailed nearly the entire first half and were down 34-17 with just under seven minutes to play before the break. However, the Mocs out-scored the Panthers 22-5 over the remainder of the first half to tie the game at 39, then scored the first 10 points of the second half to take the lead.
After shooting just 33 percent in the opening period and making 5-of-14 shots behind the arc, the Moccasins shot 55 percent in the second half and were seven-for-nine from long range. They also hit all 19 of their second-half free throw attempts, including eight in the final minute to put the game away.
Rion Rayfield led Florida Southern with a career-high 24 points, but he was one of six Moccasins to score in double figures. Rayfield went four-for five on 3-point attempts, with all four of those triples coming during the 22-5 run that ended the first half. His final one came with 37 seconds to play, and tied the game. He wasn't even the Mocs' top 3-point shooter though.
That honor belonged to Terry Jenkins, another redshirt sophomore, who made five in seven attempts to finish with a career-high 17 points. While Rayfield made all four of his in the first half, Jenkins made all five of his in the second half. Those five 3-pointers came on five attempts.
Meanwhile, Zach Smith and Rob Eldridge each scored 12 points, John Thompson scored 11, and Brandon Jenkins added 10. Smith pulled down 11 rebounds and Thompson had 10 boards. Eldridge and Brandon Jenkins each had six assists. Eldridge scored the Mocs' first points of the second half when he knocked down a 3-pointer that put FSC on top, 42-39. Braxton Williams followed with another 3-pointer, and the Mocs were off and running.
Florida Tech (7-5, 0-2) got 22 points and five assists from point guard Ryan Ballard, and 21 points and six rebounds from Simon Cummings. Derek Helleman had 18 points and 14 rebounds. The Panthers were just five-for-22 on 3-point attempts in the second half.
Florida Southern will play at Saint Leo on Wednesday night at 7:30. The game will be broadcast live on the Internet on SportsLine Radio Network (SLRN). Air time will be 7:15 p.m. To listen, click on the SLRN logo on the men's basketball web page.
