Box Score
LAKELAND â€" Needing a spark in the first half to awaken a sluggish offense, Florida Southern head coach Jarrod Olson turned to Melanie Ducott. In the second half, it seemed like everyone else got into the act. With five players scoring between eight and 10 points in the game, and Palm Beach Atlantic shooting just 25 percent, Florida Southern blew open a close game in the second half for a 59-39 win over the Sailfish in its final non-conference game of the season.
The Moccasins (15-3, ranked #19) led just 20-16 at halftime, and Ducott had eight of those points in eight minutes off the bench. The junior guard checked into the game with the Mocs trailing 9-5 and immediately hit a jumper to get the Mocs within two. One minute later, Ducott came up with a steal on defense and converted one-of-two free throws to make it a 9-8 game, and a short jumper by Michaela Hawley after that gave Florida Southern the lead again.
The Mocs still led by only one when Ducott completed a three-point play at the 5:35 mark, and she put the Mocs ahead 18-12 with a fast-break bucket just a few seconds later. She then exited the game for the remainder of the half, but her work was done, and the Mocs never trailed again.
Both teams were shooting under 30 percent at the break, but the Sailfish (4-15) were almost totally dependent on senior forward Selethia Jackson, who scored 12 of her team’s 16 points while going 6-for-13 from the field. The rest of the team was only 1-for-17, with Hayley Fields making a 3-point shot that had given Palm Beach Atlantic its 9-5 lead.
Lynsey Poole started the second half with a 3-pointer for the Sailfish, but the Moccasins began pulling away after that. Led by three field goals from Hawley and five points from Taylor Maldonado, the Mocs went on a 19-2 run over the next eight minutes that ensured they’d have a comfortable lead the rest of the night. Tracy Fosterling also made two field goals during that stretch, and had a steal near the basket that set up a 3-pointer by Maldonado, and Danielle Walsh had one field goal, two assists and a steal that led to another basket during the run.
Even after Jackson and the Sailfish scored again to end the Florida Southern run, Megan Dzikas gave the Mocs an even bigger cushion with consecutive 3-pointers.
Two late baskets by Indre Mikelenaite helped give the Moccasins their final 20-point margin, and Mikelenaite’s steal in the final minute preserved Florida Southern’s third 30-point game on defense this season. It was the second game in a row the Moccasins kept an opponent in the 30’s, following their 53-30 victory over Lynn on Saturday.
Wednesday night was the first time in 27 years Florida Southern played back-to-back games giving up less than 40 points. The Moccasins started the 1984-85 season with an 89-22 win over Florida Memorial, followed by a 106-26 victory over Flagler.
After a rough first half, Florida Southern shot 47 percent in the second, while Palm Beach Atlantic shot just 25 percent in the game. It marked the fifth time this year the Mocs allowed an opponent to shoot under 30 percent.
Hawley and Fosterling led Florida Southern with 10 points, and Hawley also had 10 rebounds. Ducott and Dzikas each scored nine points, and Maldonado had eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
After scoring 12 points in the first half for PBA, Jackson finished with 15, and added six rebounds, five steals and two blocks. She was the only one in double figures for the Sailfish, who used just six players in the game.
Florida Southern returns to Sunshine State Conference play on Saturday in a battle of nationally ranked teams at Jenkins Field House with first place in the league standings on the line. The 19th-ranked Moccasins will host 10th-ranked Rollins, with tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
