Meeting for the 153rd time, Florida Southern and Tampa go head-to-head on Wednesday night in Jenkins Field House, as the Moccasins look for their fifth straight win in the series, and the Spartans look to end a three-game slide in conference play.
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GAME SPONSORS
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Stanley Properties, Skrovanek Commercial Real Estate, CPS Investments and Community Southern Bank
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CATERING FOR SIXTH MAN CLUB PROVIDED BY
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Natalie's Sports Bar & Grill
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Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #15, John Thompson (15.3 ppg., 8.8 rebs., .562 fg%)
F, #32, A.J. Hawkins (7.1 ppg., 4.4 rebs., .610 fg%)
G, #1, Brandon Jenkins (12.9 pts., 5.1 rebs., 4.9 asts., .486 3-pt.%)
G, #2, Terry Jenkins (14.3 pts., 2.8 rebs., 3.0 asts., .454 3-pt.%)
G, #20, Rion Rayfield (17.4 pts., 2.8 rebs., 5.4 asts., 1.9 steals, 436 3-pt.%)
Tampa Probable Starters:
F, #25, Glyn Hunter (7.4 pts., 5.1 rebs., .534 fg%)
F, #35, Marcus Morrison (9.5 pts., 6.1 rebs., 1.9 blocks, .611 fg%)
G, #3, Rashad Callaway (23.4 pts., 5.2 rebs., 6.3 asts., 2.1 steals)
G, #24, Anthony LaBruno (6.4 pts., 2.5 rebs.)
G, #32, Callum Townsend (10.9 pts., 4.0 rebs., 2.5 three-pt. fg/gm.)
SERIES HISTORY... In their 152 previous meetings, Florida Southern has an 82-70 series edge over Tampa. The Moccasins won all three games last year, including an 80-59 decision in the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. The Mocs have won four straight against the Spartans overall, and are 5-3 under current coach Linc Darner. That gives them a 46-27 advantage since 1983-84 when Tampa brought back men's basketball after a 12-year hiatus.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... The Moccasins (14-2, 4-2) are coming off a 98-85 victory over Lynn on Saturday, a game in which they never trailed and in which six different players scored in double figures. The balanced attack allowed Florida Southern to score its most points in a conference game this season, and the most its ever scored against the Knights. John Thompson did most of the damage with 23 points and 17 rebounds, giving him 53 points and 29 boards in the last two games. His fifth 20-point game of the season tied him with Rion Rayfield for the team lead. Thompson's game against Lynn was reminiscent of his 19-point, 21-rebound effort against Tampa in last year's SSC Tournament semifinals. The rest of the double digit scorers came from the perimeter, which included 13 apiece from Cameron Wooten and Damon Ellison off the bench. Jay Hubble provided a big spark as well, scoring all eight of his points in the final five minutes of the first half to help Florida Southern take control of the game. Overall, Florida Southern is getting nearly 30 points per game from its bench, with Ellison, Wooten and Preston Fredrick being the biggest contributors. Meanwhile, starting guards Rayfield, Brandon Jenkins and Terry Jenkins have combined to shoot 45 percent from 3-point range, helping the Moccasins rank third in Division II in that category behind Henderson State (AR) and Quincy (IL). Brandon Jenkins is also closing in on 1,000 career points, which would make him the third current Moccasin to reach that level. He needs 40 to join Thompson (1,420) and Rayfield (1,187). Thompson's total includes his two seasons at Queens University in North Carolina
ABOUT TAMPA... Less than two weeks ago, the Spartans (8-6, 3-3) were tied for first place with Rollins and Florida Southern, but since then, the Spartans have dropped three in a row to Lynn, Eckerd and Rollins to fall into a log jam in the middle of the SSC standings. They're now one of seven teams in the league that have either two or three conference losses. Almost all of Tampa's games have been very close, with 10 of the 14 decided by seven points or less. One of those was a double overtime win against Valdosta State, which was ranked No. 2 in the country at the time, one of only two losses for the Blazers this season. Free throw shooting is a big reason why the Spartans have had a chance to win almost every game - they lead the league with a .755 percentage from the line, a figure that ranked No. 11 in the country as of last week. At the other end of the spectrum though, Tampa is only shooting 41 percent from the floor, and was ranked 212th out of 270 Division II teams in that department. The Spartans are led by two-time All-SSC point guard Rashad Callaway, who is among the national leaders in both scoring (23.4 ppg.) and assists (6.3 per game). He's gone to the free throw line an incredible 144 times in 14 games, and makes them 82 percent of the time. However, he shoots just 35 percent from the floor and 29 percent from 3-point range (31-for-107). Callaway's 45-point game against Lynn on January 9 was the best in the SSC this year, and the most for a Spartan in 22 years. Tampa has had to deal with the loss of Mounir Benzegala, its second leading scorer, who has not played in the last three games due to injury. He was averaging 11.6 points per game and shooting 45 percent from long distance (27-for-60). Anthony LaBruno has filled in, and is coming off his best game of the season with 18 points on six 3-pointers against Rollins.
