Box Score LAKELAND - Dominic Lane waited a long time Friday night to make a major impact on the game, and when he did, the sophomore guard did so not once, but twice. Thankfully for the Moccasins, he had Garrett Putman hanging around the first time. With both players making huge plays on offense and defense in the final 90 seconds, Florida Southern was able to hold off Limestone (S.C.), 87-78, in its first game of the Terrace Hotel/Ledger Media Group Tournament.
The Moccasins also got one of the best games of Brett Bailey's career, as the junior forward scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out five assists and made two steals. Seth Evans scored 16 points, and Kevin Capers had 15 points and six assists, but it was Lane and Putman who put the game away for the Moccasins, who had to overcome a 30-point, 10-rebound effort from Limestone's All-American forward, Jarrell Douglass.
Florida Southern (3-1) led by as many as 12 with seven minutes remaining, but the defending champions from Conference Carolinas pulled to within 78-75 when Joe Raga hit a 3-pointer with 2:18 remaining. After the Mocs missed a shot on their next possession, the Saints got the ball back with a chance to tie or cut into the lead further, but Lane and Putman made sure neither of those things happened.
Lane provided the defensive play for Florida Southern when he intercepted a pass by Douglass near the half-court stripe and took the ball in for a layup. The shot didn't fall, but Putman swept in from behind to tip the ball in for a basket anyway and was fouled in the process. After Putman completed the three-point play, the Mocs were ahead 81-75 with 1:21 on the clock.
Limestone (2-3) got one free throw on the other end to make it a 5-point game, but Lane answered for the Moccasins with his first 3-pointer of the season, draining the shot from the top of the key to give them an 84-76 lead with 41 seconds to play. The Mocs would then get three more points on free throws by Evans and Lane before Douglass scored at the buzzer for Limestone for the final 87-78 score.
Lane’s 3-pointer was the eighth for Florida Southern in the game, and the Moccasins were 4-for-7 from behind the arc in the second half.
The Moccasins had their hands full with Douglass for most of the night, with the fifth-year senior from Leesburg going 12-for-13 from the floor, 2-for-3 from long range, and 4-for-5 from the line. In the first half though, it was Bailey who owned the paint with 15 points and four rebounds that staked the Mocs to a 45-39 lead. Bailey hit on seven of his eight field goal attempts during that time and also had four rebounds and four assists in the first half.
Florida Southern led 14-7 early on, but Limestone used back-to-back 3-point baskets by Josh Corry and Douglass to take their first lead at 22-19 with 10:14 remaining in the first half. The Saints held that lead for almost three minutes before the Mocs scored eight consecutive points, with Bailey making two of his first-half field goals during that 8-0 run.
The Saints got the deficit back to one on two different occasions before halftime, but each time Bailey scored for the Moccasins to give them a little more breathing room. Capers would then hit a 3-pointer with six seconds on the clock to give them their six-point halftime lead.
Capers scored eight of Florida Southern's first 10 points in the second half to keep Limestone at bay before the Mocs got five points from Kyle Tazioli and a 3-pointer by Tyler Kelly during an 8-0 run that pushed their lead to 65-55 with 12:16 to play. It was the first of four different double digit deficits that Limestone faced, but it took the late plays by Lane and Putman to finally put the Saints away for good.
Florida Southern will face Armstrong Atlantic State in the tournament championship game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., while Limestone will play in the third-place game against Minnesota State at 5:15.
Armstrong Atlantic defeated Minnesota State 90-85 in Friday's first game with all five Pirate starters scoring in double figures. Keyshore Williams was the leader with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocks, and Chris Vanlandingham scored 18 points and handed out six assists.
Minnesota State was led by DJ Hoskins, who scored 22 points, while Connor O'Brien had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
