Florida Southern wraps up the first semester this weekend when it hosts Freed-Hardeman University, one of the nation's top NAIA teams. The Moccasins are after their ninth straight win, which would send them into Christmas break undefeated for the first time in four years. The Lions are looking to get back on track after three straight losses have dropped them out of the NAIA national poll for the first time in nearly a year.
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GAME SPONSORS
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Rodda Construction and Jason Shinn Realty
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CATERING FOR SIXTH MAN CLUB PROVIDED BY
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Julianne's Fine Dining
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Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #15, John Thompson (16.8 ppg., 8.9 rebs., .604 fg%)
F, #32, A.J. Hawkins (4.9 ppg., 3.8 rebs., .667 fg%)
G, #1, Brandon Jenkins (13.8 pts., 5.4 rebs., 4.9 asts., .471 3-pt.%)
G, #2, Terry Jenkins (14.1 pts., 2.9 rebs., 3.6 asts., .578 3-pt.%)
G, #20, Rion Rayfield (14.0 pts., 3.1 rebs., 5.1 asts., .426 3-pt.%)
Freed-Hardeman Probable Starters:
F, #2, Ken Bingham (14.6 ppg., 4.4 rebs., 3.1 asts.)
F, #22, Logan Greer (6.5 pts., 4.1 rebs., .387 3-pt.%)
C, #30, Zack Frey (19.6 pts., 7.0 rebs., 3.6 asts., .618 fg%)
G, #5, Kirtiss Brown (4.5 ppg., 4.2 rebs., 5.2 asts., 1.6 steals)
G, #33, Jesse Moulton (10.8 pts., 4.0 rebs., .365 3-pt.%)
SERIES HISTORY... This is the first meeting between the two schools. Florida Southern is the only NCAA Division II school that Freed-Hardeman is playing this year, and it will be the Lions' only game on their trip to Florida, a game that will be their last until January 7.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... The Moccasins moved up one spot in the national rankings this week and now sit at No. 2, their highest position since they went into the 2000 Christmas break ranked #1 in the country. While the Mocs have won four games this year by more than 30 points, their last win didn't come easy. To keep their perfect record intact, they had to overcome an 11-0 deficit at Palm Beach Atlantic last Saturday before finally putting away a 66-56 victory in the final two minutes. The 11-point deficit was the largest the Mocs have faced this season. John Thompson led the Mocs with 20 points in that game, his third 20-point game of the season. He remains the team's leading scorer and ranks second in the SSC in rebounding at 8.9 per game. Rion Rayfield scored 17 points in the win at PBA, and though he's still looking for his first 20-point game of the season, it was the fifth time in the last six games he's scored at least 15. Brandon Jenkins scored 10 against the Sailfish and has now hit double figures in seven straight games, and both he and Terry Jenkins share the team's single game high this year of 26 points. The two brothers are shooting a combined 53 percent from 3-point range, each is ranked in the top 10 of the SSC in that department, and Terry is sixth in the country at .578
ABOUT FREED-HARDEMAN... The Lions were the TranSouth Athletic Conference runners-up last year and have 10 players back from that team, including their leading scorer, Zack Frey. They were ranked as high as No. 10 in the country in 2009, and earned a trip to the NAIA Division I National Tournament. This year, they opened the season ranked No. 18, but have fallen out of the rankings after losing their last three games. The Lions are averaging 84.5 points per game, and like the Moccasins, have hit the century mark three times. Most recently, it came in a 107-103 win over Life University on November 27, one of Freed-Hardeman's three overtime games this season. The Lions have started the same lineup in all 11 games this year, with Frey leading the team in scoring for the second year in a row (19.6 ppg.). Ken Bingham is second on the team with a 14.6 average, but the Lions' #3 scorer is not one of their starters. Kyle Teichmann is averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game off the bench, while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the line. Jesse Moulton is the team's top 3-point shooter with 23 made, while Moulton, Bingham and Logan Greer all shoot between 37 and 38 percent from that distance.
