Back-to-back road games have resulted in Florida Southern's first two losses, but the Moccasins are back at home this Saturday where they're unbeaten this season. Their opponent on Saturday is Lynn University, the only team to beat the Mocs during the regular season last year in Jenkins Field House. The Knights come to Lakeland tied for first place in the Sunshine State Conference, giving the Mocs a chance to take back what belonged to them just a short while ago.
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CATERING FOR SIXTH MAN CLUB PROVIDED BY
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Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #15, John Thompson (14.7 ppg., 8.3 rebs., .558 fg%)
F, #32, A.J. Hawkins (7.3 ppg. 4.1 rebs., .634 fg%)
G, #1, Brandon Jenkins (12.9 pts., 5.3 rebs., 4.8 asts., .508 3-pt.%)
G, #2, Terry Jenkins (14.5 pts., 2.9 rebs., 3.1 asts., .462 3-pt.%)
G, #20, Rion Rayfield (17.7 pts., 2.9 rebs., 5.5 asts., 2.0 steals, 439 3-pt.%)
Lynn Probable Starters:
F, #12, Jovan Robinson (11.3 pts., 4.5 rebs., 3.8 asts.)
F, #20, Bo Jukic (5.6 pts., 5.1 rebs., .833 ft%)
C, #24, Michel Vidal (9.1 pts., 12.1 rebs., 2.0 blocks)
G, #4, Chris Hall (19.6 pts., 2.9 rebs., 3.3 asts., .412 3-pt.%)
G, #23, Rodney Kennedy (10.0 pts., 2.0 rebs., 2.9 asts., .435 3-pt.%)
SERIES HISTORY... Florida Southern is 20-10 against Lynn, but the Knights have performed well in Jenkins Field House, where the Mocs are only 8-5 against them. Lynn has won in three of its last four trips to Lakeland, including last year's 70-69 decision that ended Florida Southern's 13-game homecourt winning streak. The Mocs nearly rallied from a 14-point deficit with less than six minutes to play, but Lynn held on when Florida Southern missed two game-winning shots in the final six seconds. It was the sixth time since Lynn joined the SSC in 1997-98, that the teams played a game decided by one point.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... The Moccasins have dropped their last two games to fall to 13-2 overall and 3-2 in the Sunshine State Conference, and the biggest concern for head coach Linc Darner has been Florida Southern's defense. The Mocs gave up 91 points in each of those games after allowing just over 71 per game during their 13-game winning streak. That hasn't happened in three straight games since 1974-75, a streak the Mocs are determined not to match. Offensively, Florida Southern is still going strong, and even on a "down" night against Saint Leo, the Moccasins still scored 79 points. That's still two points higher than the other SSC teams average as a group, and a total that would still rank second in the league. Much of that came from John Thompson, who scored a career-high 30 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. It was the second game in a row a Florida Southern player hit the 30-point mark, as Terry Jenkins burned Rollins for 31 last Saturday. It's also the first time in 21 years two different Moccasins have done that in back-to-back games; and though he hasn't done it this year, Rion Rayfield also has a 30-point game in his career, and leads the team this year with five games of at least 20. Thompson has made 82 field goals this year, and Rayfield has made 81; each player has also made 57 free throws, though Rayfield is 47-for-107 from behind the arc, giving him a league-high 3.1 three-point field goals per game. The Mocs also have the league leader in 3-point shooting percentage in Brandon Jenkins, while A.J. Hawkins now has enough field goal attempts to rank second in overall field goal percentage.
ABOUT LYNN... The Knights (9-6, 3-1 in the SSC) have won five in a row, and eight of their last 10 after a 1-4 start that included a 61-50 loss to Rollins. Their three conference wins have come Saint Leo, Nova Southeastern, and most recently, Tampa. Lynn had a bye in conference play earlier this week, and instead defeated Palm Beach Atlantic, 81-59. Similar to Saint Leo, Lynn's record is a bit deceptive. Only one of its six losses has been by more than six points, and four have come by three points or less. One of those was an overtime loss to 11th-ranked Valdosta State, and another was a 65-62 reversal at the hands of 13th-ranked Montevallo. The Knights have been led by junior guard Chris Hall, a First Team All-SSC and honorable mention All-America pick in 2009 after he led the league in scoring with a 22.3 average. He's fifth in the SSC this year with 19.6 points per game, is 40-for-97 from 3-point range, scored 35 in the Knights' recent win over Tampa, and has led the team in seven straight games. Hall, Rodney Kennedy and Steven Lopez are all shooting at least 39 percent from that distance, helping Lynn rank second in the SSC in 3-point shooting percentage as a team; the Knights trail only Florida Southern in that category. Lynn also has one of the league's top all-around shooters in Kendall Butler, who normally comes off the bench with a .655 field goal percentage (55-for-84) and an .829 free throw percentage (34-for-41); he's even made two-of-three from long range. The Knights actually rank last in the SSC in scoring, but their 74.6 average is somewhat skewed; they haven't scored less than 75 in their last eight games.
