Box Score LAKELAND - The Moccasins sprinted to a 20-point halftime lead, then held off Florida Tech in the second half to post a 79-69 win in the Moccasins' Sunshine State Conference opener Sunday at Jenkins Field House. The win was the Moccasins' sixth straight and raised their overall record to 9-3. The Panthers slipped to 10-4, 1-1 in the SSC.
Showing no ill effects from a two-week layoff, the Moccasins shot 52.9 percent in the first half en route to a 44-24 advantage. Leading 26-23 with 5:01 left in the first half, the Moccasins closed out the opening period with an 18-1 run, led by Brandon Jenkins, who had 10 of the 18 points. The Mocs hit their last seven shots from the field, four by Jenkins, as well as a free throw by Jenkins. Florida Tech was never able to get closer than eight points, at 61-53, in the second half.
Jenkins and his brother, Terry, each had 20 points to lead FSC's scoring, while Rion Rayfield added 14. The trio combined to go 18-38 from the field 5-12 from three-point range and 13-14 from the free throw line. Cameron Wooten pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds for the Moccasins.
Brandon Jenkins' 20-point effort raised his career point total to 1,286, moving him ahead of Andy Robertson (1994-97) into 13th place on FSC's career scoring list. Next ahead of Jenkins is John Mullis (1960-63) with 1,290 career points.
Justin Sedlak, the SSC's leading scorer, led Florida Tech with 20 points, just under his 21.0 average.
The Moccasins play at Saint Leo Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.
