Florida Southern brings the first semester to a close this weekend with a pair of games at Jenkins Field House against teams from Alabama. The Moccasins host Talladega College on Saturday afternoon at 1:00, and take on Tuskegee University on Sunday night at 7:30. The Mocs will bring a three-game winning streak into the weekend and hope to add to that before a two-week break for the Christmas holidays.
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GAME SPONSORS
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Folsom Construction (vs. Talladega)
Rodda Construction & Innovative Ink (vs. Tuskegee)
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CATERING FOR SIXTH MAN CLUB PROVIDED BY
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Black & Brew (vs. Talladega)
Shane's Rib Shack (vs. Tuskegee)
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Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #32, Andre Hawkins (6.7 ppg. 4.1 rebs., .513 fg%)
G, #1, Brandon Jenkins (13.0 pts., 6.3 rebs., 6.2 asts., .432 3-pt.%)
G, #2, Terry Jenkins (12.1 ppg., 2.9 rebs., 2.6 asts., .889 ft%)
G, #20, Rion Rayfield (14.1 pts., 2.3 rebs., 5.0 asts., 2.0 steals)
G, #22, Damon Ellison (13.1 pts., 4.0 rebs., .533 fg%)
Talladega Probable Starters:
F, #34, Kerry Weaver (2.0 pts., 3.0 rebs.)
C, #33, Jimmie Sutton (9.5 pts., 8.0 rebs., 2.0 blocks)
G, #5, Phil Wood (15.9 pts., 8.8 rebs., 2.5 asts., 1.9 steals)
G, #10, Kerry Harvis (22.1 pts., 5.2 rebs., .904 ft%)
G, #23, Tarium Taylor (15.2 pts., 6.7 rebs., 2.1 asts.)
Tuskegee Probable Starters:
F, #44, Aaron Ragsdale (10.3 pts., 5.5 rebs.)
C, #42, Stephen Hinton (2.8 pts., 4.5 rebs.)
G, #3, Calvin Thomas (8.8 pts., 3.8 rebs., 2.3 steals)
G, #5, Lorell Friend (17.5 pts., 2.0 rebs., 2.5 asts., .667 3pt%)
G, #12, Jeremy Williams (8.5 pts., 1.3 rebs.)
SERIES HISTORY... Florida Southern and Talladega have never met before this weekend, while the Moccasins have faced Tuskegee only once. That came in the 1979 NCAA Tournament when the Golden Tigers won the regional third-place game 107-102 in Jenkins Field House. It remains the highest scoring NCAA playoff game in team history for Florida Southern with 209 total points.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... The Moccasins have been taking final exams this week after stretching their winning streak to three games with a 79-71 decision on the road last Saturday at Palm Beach Atlantic. While Rion Rayfield led the Mocs with 23 points, and is averaging 20.0 over the last four games, Cameron Wooten came off the bench for 18 points and eight rebounds. It's the fourth time this year the 5th-year senior has scored in double figures in that role, giving him a 9.1 scoring average, as well as 4.1 rebounds per game. He's also third in the SSC in 3-point shooting percentage (.480, 12-for-25), helping the Mocs shoot 41 percent as a team from behind the arc. The Moccasins are averaging nearly nine 3-pointers per game, with a season-high of 17 in their last home game against Ave Maria. With the return to health of Terry Jenkins, and Wooten's recent performance, the Moccasins have five guards who are averaging at least 10.0 points over the last five games.
ABOUT TALLADEGA... Talladega is an independent NAIA program that went 18-15 last year and is 6-7 this year. Two of their losses have been to NCAA Division I schools, including one to Jackson State on Thursday night. The Tornadoes beat Tuskegee 107-97 early in the year, though it was an exhibition game for Tuskegee. They're a team with five seniors and four juniors, and feature one of the nation's top scorers at the NAIA level in Kerry Harvis (22.1 pppg.). He's a 90 percent free throw shooter, shoots 43 percent from the floor and 38 percent from 3-point range (28-for-74), with six games with at least 25 points. Phil Wood has been averaging close to a double-double for most of the season, and the front-court features 6-10 Jimmy Sutton and 7-0 Brandon Baker, who've helped Talladega block 47 shots in 13 games. Sutton just returned this week and has played in only two games so far, while Baker averages 2.4 blocks, 1.3 points and 2.8 rebounds, and has taken only 21 shots. Two other players, Deangelo Spruill (27 points and seven rebounds) and Kerry Weaver (four points and six rebounds also just re-joined the team this week and have played in only two games.
ABOUT TUSKEGEE... The Golden Tigers, who are 2-2, are the defending SIAC Tournament champions, earning them a trip to last year's NCAA South Region Tournament where they lost to top-seeded Arkansas Tech in the first round. They have 10 lettermen and three starters back from that team that went 20-11 overall, including their top three scorers. They're the same three players who are leading the team this year, though only Aaron Ragsdale has been starting on a regular basis. Lorell Friend has started only the most recent game at Claflin, and Andrae Nelson has come off the bench in every game this year. Friend has scored 20+ points in three straight games, shoots 52 percent from the floor and is 6-for-9 from 3-point range. He also leads the team with 10 assists and has nine steals. Nelson averages 10.8 points, and leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game and 10 blocked shots. Nelson was a Second Team All-SIAC selection in 2010, and Calvin Thomas was the MVP of the conference tournament.
A free live video stream of both games will be available at http://fsc.nmtvsports.com/
Live stats will be available at http://www.flsouthern.edu/athletics/mens/livestats/xlive.htm
