After celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, the Florida Southern Moccasins will be back on the court Friday and Saturday when they host the Terrace Hotel/Ledger Media Group Tournament at Jenkins Field House. Action begins Friday at 5:15 p.m. when Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) takes on Minnesota State, with Florida Southern playing Limestone (S.C.) in the second game at 7:30 p.m. The consolation game is Saturday at 5:15 p.m., followed by the championship game at 7:30.
LIVE STATS FOR ALL GAMES CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE
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TOURNAMENT SPONSORS
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The Terrace Hotel & The Ledger Media Group
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CATERING FOR SIXTH MAN CLUB PROVIDED BY
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GrillSmith & Little Caesars
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Florida Southern Probable Starters:
F, #23, Garrett Putman (5.3 pts., 5.7 rebs.)
F, #40, Brett Bailey (11.7 pts., 5.0 rebs., .536 fg%)
G, #0, Kevin Capers (15.7 pts., 1.7 rebs., 3.0 asts.)
G, #5, Dominic Lane (6.7 pts., 6.0 rebs.)
G, #21, Seth Evans (14.0 pts., 3.0 rebs., 4.7 asts.)
SERIES HISTORY... This is the eighth year in a row Florida Southern has hosted a holiday tournament, and the second year in a row it's been held the week of Thanksgiving. Friday night's game will mark the first meeting between Florida Southern and Limestone, but the Moccasins have played each of the other two participants. The Mocs are 7-2 all-time against Armstrong Atlantic, and have beaten the Pirates each of the last two years. The Mocs won last year's game at home, 79-78, when the Pirates missed two shots in the final three seconds; they also won in Savannah two years ago, 80-70. Florida Southern has won both of its previous two meetings with Minnesota State, but they haven't met since December 21, 1995. Florida Southern won that game in Jenkins Field House, 63-46. This will be MSU's second trip to Florida in the last four years, however, as the Mavericks played in the Disney Division II Tipoff Classic in November of 2008.
ABOUT FLORIDA SOUTHERN... Florida Southern has won its last two games by rather comfortable margins, beating Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras by 18 points, and UPR-Bayamon by 40. In those two games, the Moccasins have shot 48 percent from the floor and 34 percent from 3-point distance (14-for-41). Six different players scored in double figures, with newcomers Seth Evans and Kevin Capers doing it in both games. Evans had 25 in the win over UPR-Rio Piedras, and Capers scored 20 against UPR-Bayamon. Capers has led the Mocs in scoring in two of their three games this year. Dominic Lane and Kyle Tazioli also scored in double digits against UPR-Rio Piedras, while Brett Bailey and Cameron Vines did the same against Bayamon. In that second game, the Mocs were able to play all 15 of their available players, and got 30 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists from their bench. Vines has been their top scorer in that role, averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Tazioli is averaging 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds off the bench, and Tyler Kelly is second on the team with 11 assists while averaging more than 20 minutes as a reserve.
ABOUT ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC... The Pirates have won both of their games so far this season, defeating Wingate on the road, 82-74, and Coastal Georgia at home, 106-59. They're shooting 50 percent from the floor as a team, 43 percent from behind the arc, and 81 percent from the line. In their most recent game against Coastal Georgia, the Pirates scored the first 24 points of the night and made fourteen 3-point field goals in 30 attempts. Their 15-man roster is balanced between seven returning players, one player who redshirted last year, and seven newcomers. Four of those newcomers are transfers, including their their second leading scorer so far, Aric Miller. The former Bethune-Cookman guard is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists through two games. Senior guard Mychal Horn is Armstrong's top scorer so far, with 24 points against Wingate and 16 against Coastal Georgia. He's shooting 65 percent from the floor. Senior guard Chris Vanlandingham, who led the Pirates last year with a 15.0 scoring average, is third on the team this year with 14.5 points per game, and is also averaging 3.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Vanlandingham did not play against Florida Southern last year.
ABOUT LIMESTONE... Located in the upstate region of South Carolina, in the town of Gaffney, Limestone is the preseason favorite to win Conference Carolinas after the Saints won the conference tournament last year. They have back-to-back 20-win seasons and last year qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since becoming an NCAA program in 1991. Both of their returning starters are central Florida natives, and head coach Brandon Scott is a former Florida high school coach as well. Fifth-year senior forward Jarrell Douglass is from Leesburg and was a Division II Bulletin honorable mention All-American last year and NABC First Team All-Region selection. He led the Saints with 20.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and in Limestone's 2-2 start this year, Douglass is averaging 21.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 56 percent overall and 44 percent from 3-point range. Lithia's Joe Raga averaged 7.1 points and 6.3 rebounds last year, and this year the junior swingman is putting up 6.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Josh Corry scores 8.0 points per game and leads the team with seven 3-pointers. All four of Limestone's games this year have been decided by single digits, three of them by five points or less, including a 67-66 win over Wingate.
ABOUT MINNESOTA STATE... Formerly known as Mankato State, Minnesota State has been one of the most successful Division II programs in the country in recent years, having made seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks have won five league championships in the last six years split between the old North Central Conference and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference of which they're now a member. Last year's team was the most successful in school history as the Mavericks went 28-5, won the Central Region title and defeated South Region champion Alabama-Huntsville at the Elite Eight. They lost to eventual national champion Bellarmine in the national semifinals. The Mavericks return just one starter and five lettermen from that team, however, and they're off to a 1-1 start with a win over Dickinson State and a loss to Michigan Tech. Freshman guard Kelly Madison is their leading scorer with 15.0 points per game, coming off the bench in each of them. He's 12-for-25 from the floor and 5-for-10 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Connor O'Brien, the Mavericks' lone returning starter, is averaging 12.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, and sophomore guard Jimmy Whitehead also scores 12.5 points per game. Senior guard Stephen Kirschbaum, who shot 45 percent from long range last year, scores 6.5 points per game and is an 89 percent career free throw shooter.
