Box Score
LAKELAND â€" Florida Southern’s 3-point shooting kept the game close all throughout the first half, even when Nova Southeastern was making long-range shots at virtually the same pace. In the second half, the Mocs’ 3-point shooting helped them erase a 12-point deficit, but it was Nova’s work on the offensive boards that proved to be the difference in a 62-58 win by the Sharks.
The Moccasins (16-5, 7-4 Sunshine State Conference) went 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half with Tracy Fosterling and Sofie Lundberg each going 2-for-2 off the bench. The Sharks (12-8, 5-6) were 5-for-9, with Meixandra Porter going 3-for-3 and Danielle Robinson going 2-for-3. That shooting display came after the Mocs led just 4-1 after the first 3½ minutes, a stretch that saw both teams miss their first two attempts from behind the arc.
Porter hit the first 3-pointer, which tied the game at four, and the Mocs didn’t re-claim the lead until Fosterling made one at the 12-minute mark to put them ahead 12-10. After the Sharks scored seven straight points, Megan Dzikas got the Mocs within two on another 3-point field goal, and 90 seconds later, Lundberg hit her first of the night to give the Mocs an 18-17 lead.
Porter answered with a triple for Nova, followed by a layup from Richelle Carach, but another 3-pointer by Lundberg cut it to one, and a conventional three-point play by Michaela Hawley put Florida Southern ahead once again, 24-22. After the Sharks went back in front, Danielle Walsh grabbed the lead back yet again for the Moccasins with yet another 3-pointer.
That shot left Florida Southern with a 27-25 lead, but Nova put together a 12-3 run over the final 3:13 of the first half to take a 37-30 advantage at halftime. That run featured 3-point field goals by Robinson and Porter, and Florida Southern’s points came on a triple by Fosterling.
That ended a nine-minute stretch in which the two teams combined to go 9-for-10 from 3-point range, with Florida Southern making five in a row at one point.
Nova continued its long-range shooting early in the second half with Jessica Walter and Jessica Russi each making one to help the Sharks push their lead to 48-36 with 12 minutes remaining. Florida Southern began chipping away though behind Hawley, who scored eight consecutive points for the Mocs to make it a 2-point game with less than six minutes on the clock.
That’s when Nova went to work on the glass, and used offensive rebounding to hold on to its lead â€" just barely.
After Florida Southern had pulled within 50-48, Nova made just four shots in the final six minutes, and in fact just four in the final eight minutes, and all of them were second-chance baskets. Three of them came with the Sharks holding a tenuous 2- or 3-point lead. The most damaging came with 18 seconds to play, and the Sharks ahead, 60-58.
The Moccasins had trimmed a 9-point deficit down to two thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Walsh, and a jumper by Fosterling with 38 seconds remaining. Having already missed two free throws on its previous possession, Nova got the ball back on a turnover by FSC with 20.3 seconds on the clock, forcing the Mocs to foul again. Russi missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Quinessa Johnson fought through a pair of Moccasins to not only come up with the ball, but put it off the glass for a layup that put her team ahead by four, and turned out to be the final points of the game. They were also the only points of the game for Johnson.
Florida Southern finished the night 8-for-19 from 3-point range, with Walsh going 3-for-4, and Lundberg and Fosterling each making two. Hawley led the Mocs with 15 points, added six rebounds, five assists and two blocks, and Walsh scored 11 points with seven rebounds and three steals. Fosterling chipped in with nine points, three rebounds and three blocks.
Nova Southeastern got 16 points from Porter, though she scored just three in the second half. Jasmine Wilkins had 12 points, and Russi had 11 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
The Sharks made seven of their 15 attempts from behind the 3-point arc, and were led in that department by Porter (3-for-5) and Robinson (2-for-3). Robinson though, who was second in the SSC in scoring behind Hawley, was held to just six points in the game.
Florida Southern will be on the road for its next two games, taking on Eckerd Wednesday night at 5:30, and Barry on Saturday afternoon at 2:00.
