Box Score LAKELAND -€" Florida Southern erased a 13-point deficit early in the second half Saturday night, but Saginaw Valley State ultimately turned the game back in its favor with a comeback of its own. Holding the Moccasins to just one field goal in a 10-minute stretch near the end of the game, the Cardinals pulled out a 75-70 win to bring the 2010 Holiday Inn South/Ledger Classic to an end.
Florida Southern (3-3) shot just 29 percent in the first half while making eight-of-28 shots from the field and going one-for-11 from behind the arc. That allowed Saginaw Valley State (3-1) to take a 38-27 lead at halftime, but the Moccasins out-scored the Cardinals 27-7 in the first 9:56 of the second half to turn that 11-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
The Cardinals actually scored the first points of the second half to give themselves their second 13-point lead of the night. Two minutes later they were up 42-31 before Rion Rayfield knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to bring the Mocs within two.
After Chris Webb made a 3-point shot for the Cardinals, the Mocs got baskets from Damon Ellison and Terry Jenkins to trim the deficit to one, and two free throws from Brett Bailey to take a 46-45 lead at the 12:52 mark. Brandon Jenkins then finished off a 14-0 run by the Moccasins with a pair of 3-pointers that put them ahead 54-45 with 10:30 remaining.
The game took another dramatic turn after that, and this one favored the Cardinals. Over the next five minutes, Saginaw Valley State out-scored Florida Southern 16-3, going 6-for-6 from the floor, while the Moccasins went 0-for-6. Dan Genther and Chris Webb each hit two of those shots for the Cardinals, Jay Thames and Eli Redman made one, and nearly all of those points came in the paint or at the line.
The Moccasins were able to tie the game though when Rayfield and Bailey made two free throws apiece with just over four minutes to play, and got the ball back again when Genther missed a 3-pointer at the 3:48 mark. The Mocs gave it right back though, and Michael Fugate converted a pair of free throws to put the Cardinals ahead, 63-61.
Ellison twice got Florida Southern within a single point in the final three minutes, but each time SVSU answered by scoring at the other end. When Ellison hit a jumper with 38.3 seconds to play, making the score 68-67, it ended a streak of 10 straight missed field goals by the Moccasins, and was their first basket since a Jenkins 3-pointer had given them their nine-point lead with 10:30 remaining.
The Mocs fouled quickly after Ellison's basket, and Redman made both free throws for the Cardinals. Now trailing 70-67, the Mocs missed a game-tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds to play, and after Redman made one-of-two free throws following another foul, the Mocs missed another shot with seven seconds to play. Again the Mocs fouled, and Thames two free throws to make the score 73-67.
Brandon Jenkins then made things interesting when he hit a long 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds on the clock, but Webb sealed the game for SVSU with two more free throws.
Webb ended up as the game's highest scorer with 24 points, going 8-for-13 from the field, and adding four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Genther scored 17 for the Cardinals, and Thames scored 11 while going 6-for-6 from the line.
Rayfield led the Moccasins with 21 points, Brandon Jenkins scored 14, and Ellison had 11. Rayfield was perfect on eight free throw attempts, helping Florida Southern shoot 89 percent in the game (25-for-28). Jenkins was four-for-six from 3-point range, but overall, the Mocs were seven-for-23.
Florida Southern also got six points and eight rebounds from Andre Hawkins, while Cameron Wooten scored eight points off the bench.
Florida Southern will host Armstrong Atlantic State (GA) in its next game on Tuesday night at 7:30.
