Box Score
LAKELAND â€" After losing another starter due to injury in their most recent game against Nova Southeastern, the Moccasins will need more out of freshmen Caitlin Lindsey and Mariah Harris than ever before, and Wednesday night against Saint Leo, both players stepped up as needed. They were two of the reasons Florida Southern was in the game until the very end before the Lions out-scored the Mocs 11-6 in the final three minutes to pull out a 66-59 victory.
Lindsey, a 5-8 guard from Port Charlotte, had her best all-around game of the season Wednesday with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. It marked the first time this season Lindsey led the Mocs in scoring, and it was her first game in double figures. Harris, a 5-10 forward from Gainesville, had 10 points and seven boards while starting in place of the injured Tracy Fosterling. That followed her 14-point, 11-rebound performance in the win over Nova Southeastern.
The Lions (11-11, 6-6 Sunshine State Conference) scored on their first two possessions to take a 4-0 lead before Harris scored on back-to-back possessions for the Moccasins (9-13, 3-9) to tie the game. That started the Mocs on a 16-4 run that saw junior Morgan Lamberg (Mukwonago, WI) make four early baskets to give her a team-high eight points in the first half.
Trailing 16-8, the Lions ran off seven straight points to cut the gap to one, but they were unable to re-gain the lead until a jumper by Chelsea Connelly put them ahead 25-24 at the 2:12 mark. Lindsey then converted a second-chance basket with two seconds to play before halftime, giving the Mocs a 26-25 lead at the break.
Florida Southern had the ball to start the second half but turned the ball over on its first two possessions, leading to a pair of free throws by Keishara Green and a layup by Green. That basket came a minute and 15 seconds into the half, and over the next 11 minutes, Saint Leo never lost the lead, but only once did it rise above three points. Lindsey and Harris combined for nine of Florida Southern’s 13 points during that stretch, with each player making a shot that tied the game.
Lindsey’s game-tying shot was a 3-pointer with 13:07 remaining, knotting the game at 33. Harris made the next one to again tie the game at 35, and Kirstin McIntyre (Hopewell Junction, NY) also provided a tie at 37 with a bucket at the 10:56 mark.
Saint Leo led 42-40 before Melanie Ducott (North Lauderdale, FL) drained a 3-pointer with 7:12 to play to give Florida Southern its first lead since halftime. After the Lions got a three-point play from Kinara Lewis, the Mocs got another 3-point field goal from Ali Sanders (Carpentersville, IL) to again take a one-point lead.
Lewis immediately answered for the Lions to give them a 47-46 lead with 6:17 remaining, and they held it the rest of the night. It wasn’t easy though.
Saint Leo’s lead was only 55-53 after two free throws by Lindsey with 3½ minutes to play, and when Green missed two free throws, the Mocs had the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead. A steal by Lewis, however, gave the ball back to Saint Leo, and the sophomore guard proved to be the spark the Lions needed to put the game away. After the steal, Lewis was fouled and converted both free throws before she hit a 3-pointer on their next possession to make the score 60-53. Lewis then made another steal that led to a layup by Green, and the Lions were up by nine with 1:39 to play.
The Moccasins got within five on a basket by Harris with 23.5 seconds on the clock, but Elise Clyburn clinched it for Saint Leo with two free throws.
In addition to the strong performances by Lindsey and Harris, the Moccasins got 12 points and seven rebounds from McIntyre, and 11 points from Lamberg. Ducott led the team with six assists.
Saint Leo was led by Lewis, who had 19 points off the bench, and four of the five starters for Saint Leo also scored in double digits, with all four between 10 and 12 points. The Lions shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half.
Florida Southern will be off this Saturday and returns to action next Wednesday night at Eckerd College, with tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
