When the Moccasins faced Rollins last Saturday, they ended the Tars' eight-game winning streak. When the Moccasins played Eckerd on Wednesday, they handed the Tritons only their second loss in the last nine games. Now the Mocs travel to Boca Raton to take on Lynn University, the team that now owns the longest current winning streak in the Sunshine State Conference. While the Knights' three-game streak is rather modest, it has allowed them to take over third place in the SSC standings from Eckerd, and stay in the thick of the title chase along with Rollins and Florida Southern.
Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #15, John Thompson (15.3 ppg., 8.6 rebs., 1.6 asts.)
F, #32, A.J. Hawkins (7.4 ppg. 4.3 rebs., .622 fg%)
G, #1, Brandon Jenkins (12.4 pts., 5.1 rebs., 5.0 asts., .470 3-pt.%)
G, #2, Terry Jenkins (13.1 pts., 2.9 rebs., 2.7 asts., .438 3-pt.%)
G, #20, Rion Rayfield (16.4 pts., 3.0 rebs., 5.3 asts., .450 3-pt.%)
Lynn Probable Starters:
F, #23, Rodney Kennedy (10.1 pts., 2.7 rebs., 2.7 asts.)
C, #24, Michel Vidal (8.8 pts., 11.8 rebs., 2.1 blocks)
G, #4, Chris Hall (19.5 pts., 3.0 rebs., 3.2 asts., 1.7 steals)
G, #12, Jovan Robinson (11.8 pts., 3.8 rebs., 3.9 asts.)
G, #22, Brandon Kennedy (8.4 pts., 2.8 rebs.)
SERIES HISTORY... Florida Southern leads the series with Lynn, 21-10, and beat the Knights earlier this year in Lakeland, 98-85. The 98 points were the most the Moccasins have ever scored against the Knights, and it was the highest scoring game in the series overall as well. The Mocs have won five of the last six meetings, including all three in 2008. Florida Southern is also 9-4 against Lynn in Boca Raton, and has won its last two games at the de Hoernle Center, including last year's 76-66 decision.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... The Moccasins (20-3, 9-3) are coming off their second overtime win and third overtime game in the last three weeks, and have won seven of their last eight games overall. The win at Eckerd on Wednesday was actually the second time this year Florida Southern never led during regulation, but never trailed in overtime. It was also the third time the Mocs erased a double-digit deficit in the final 5:15 of a game. They'd prefer not to do that against Lynn, a team they beat on January 16 without ever falling behind. The Mocs had six players score in double figures that night, led by John Thompson who had 23 points and 17 rebounds. They also got 13 points off the bench from Damon Ellison and Cameron Wooten. Thompson and Ellison have been Florida Southern's big guns over the last five games, averaging 15.0 and 13.8 points respectively. Ellison is also shooting 66 percent from the floor during that span, and has three straight games with at least 15 points. The freshman guard again gave the Moccasins a big lift on Wednesday as the starting guards were just 10-for-31. They made their mark in other ways though. Brandon Jenkins gave FSC the lead on its first possession of overtime, and then sealed the game by going four-for-four at the line in the final 10 seconds. Rion Rayfield got the game to overtime by making his only 3-pointer with 47 seconds left in the second half, and followed that with three free throws to tie the game with 14 seconds remaining. Terry Jenkins also hit a key 3-pointer with just over a minute to play that got the Mocs within four. The Moccasins continue to lead the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (now at .451) and are 10th in scoring offense, averaging 87.3 points per game.
ABOUT LYNN... The Knights (13-10, 7-5) have moved back above the .500 mark with three straight wins over Saint Leo, Tampa and Nova Southeastern, the last two coming in dramatic fashion. The Knights edged Tampa in overtime last Saturday, and beat Nova on Wednesday when Michel Vidal stole an in-bounds pass with five seconds remaining and fed Chris Hall for a buzzer-beating layup that gave them a 76-74 win. It was 12th time this season the Knights were involved in a game decided by six points or less. Hall scored 25 points in that game and ranks third in the SSC with a 19.5 average; he's also in the top ten in six other categories, including 3-point field goals (52-for-133). He scored 35 points against the Moccasins in the first meeting this year, has scored at least 13 in all but two games this season, and recently became Lynn's career scoring leader with 1,447 points in less than three years. Hall also shoots nearly 40 percent from behind the arc, helping Lynn rank second in the SSC in that category behind Florida Southern. Rodney Kennedy is the Knights' best long-range shooter (43-for-97, .443), while Jovan Robinson is 43-for-120 (.358). The Mocs will also have to watch for Kendall Butler, one of the league's best players off the bench with a 10.2 scoring average. Butler not only shoots 65 percent overall, he's also made nine of his 11 attempts from 3-point range. In the paint, Lynn features Michel Vidal, the SSC's leading rebounder and fifth leading rebounder in the country with 11.8 per game. Vidal also leads the league in blocked shots with just over two per game, and shoots 55 percent from the floor.
