ST. PETERSBURG - Clutch free throw shooting by Rion Rayfield and Brandon Jenkins helped pull the 16th-ranked Moccasins from an 11-point deficit, 58-47, with 5:20 left to a 78-74 overtime Sunshine State Conference victory over Eckerd here Wednesday night.
With the Moccasins down by three, Rayfield was fouled shooting a three-pointer with 13.5 seconds left in regulation and made all three free throws to force the overtime at 66-66. Rayfield, who hit 8-9 for the game, improved his season free throw percentage to 86.6. He added two more free throws in the overtime and finished the game with 15 points, after being held to just two in the first half. His 15 points boosted his career total to 1,287, moving him into 12th place on the FSC career scoring list.
Ironically, the Moccasins never had the lead in regulation, but never trailed in the overtime. Jenkins hit a three-pointer to give FSC its first lead of the game, 69-66, then scored the Moccasins' final four points of the game, going 4-4 in the final 10 seconds to preserve the victory. The Moccasins were 7-8 from the free throw line in the overtime.
The win gives the Moccasins (20-3, 9-3 SSC) their third straight 20-win season under coach Linc Darner and keeps them in second place behind SSC leader Rollins. The Mocs remained in fourth place in this week's South Region rankings. Eckerd, which entered the game right behind FSC in the SSC standings, fell to 13-8, 6-5 SSC.
Rayfield shared scoring honors with freshman Damon Ellison, who had 15 points for his third straight double-figure scoring game off the bench. Jenkins finished with 14 and John Thompson added 10. Jenkins'™ 14 points boosted his career total to 1,040, good for 29th place on the FSC career scoring list.
The Mocs play Saturday night at 7:30 at Lynn with the game broadcast live on SportsLine Radio Network (SLRN).
