Box Score
WEST PALM BEACH - Sixth-ranked Florida Southern used 54 percent shooting from the field and a balanced offensive attack that had eight players score at least seven points each here Saturday to post a 91-70 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic at Rubin Arena on the PBA campus.
The game marked the final non-conference game of the regular season for the Moccasins as FSC improved to 19-3 on the season overall and finished non-conference play with a 9-1 record, including winning its final seven non-conference games after suffering a 91-89 loss to St. Cloud State on a half-court buzzer beating shot to open the FSC Ledger Media Group/Terrace Hotel Classic on Nov. 23. In addition, the Mocs also won its 10th straight game against the Sailfish and its second this season as FSC picked up a 98-62 win in Lakeland on Jan. 19.
In Saturday's game, PBA, who fell to 1-22 on the season, kept the game close in the game's opening eight minutes, until the Mocs used a 15-5 run capped by a basket from junior forward Lamar McKnight (Cleveland, Ohio) to turn an 18-15 advantage into a 33-20 lead with 6:18 left in the opening half. The run was aided by a combined nine points from sophomore guard Cameron Vines (Columbus, Ohio) and junior guard Dominic Lane (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Lane finished the game with 16 points and added nine boards, while Vines had seven points and five rebounds in the win.
After the Mocs run, PBA used an 8-2 run capped by two free throws from Marcus Hardy to pull within 35-28 with 3:11 left. The Mocs, though, would close the half on an 11-5 run to go into halftime with a 46-33 lead. FSC capped the first half scoring with a trey by freshman guard Dominique Williams (Haines City, Fla.) with nine second remaining. Williams made his first career start on Saturday and finished with eight points in a career-high tying 24 minutes of action.
In the first half, FSC shot 61 percent from the field and 39 percent from the 3-point line.
Along with Lane, senior guard Seth Evans (Marseilles, Ill.) finished with 15 points to extend his double figure scoring streak to six straight games, while senior forward Brett Bailey (Davie, Fla.) added 13 points and six boards and sophomore guard Kevin Capers (Winter Haven, Fla.) tallied all 10 of his points off the bench in the second half.
The Mocs opened the second half on a 13-4 run in the first three-plus minutes out of the locker room to push its lead to 59-37 following a 3-pointer by Evans. The Sailfish used a 6-2 run to pull within 61-43 with 13:16 remaining in the game, but the Mocs answered with a 14-9 run to push its lead to 75-52 following two free throws by Bailey with 7:55 left in the contest. The 23 point lead was the largest of the game for the Mocs.
PBA, though, wouldn't go away as they responded with an 11-3 run over the next five minutes to drop the Mocs lead to 78-63 after Hardy hit 1-of-2 free throws. PBA wouldn't get any closer than 14 points (a on lay-up by Salim Fauras with 1:13 left) the rest of the game as the Mocs closed out the game on a 13-7 run to seal the victory.
Dante Valentine led the way for the Sailfish as he scored 20 points, including scoring 13 of those 20 points in the second half, while Marcus Hardy added 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Sophomore guard Tyler Kelly (Pickerington, Ohio) chipped in with nine points and eight assists for the Mocs, while McKnight tallied eight points off the bench.
The Mocs finished the game by forcing PBA into 21 turnovers that led to 19 points and held a 30-16 edge in bench points.
PBA, who shot 38 percent from the floor and 32 percent from the 3-point line, outrebounded the Mocs, 39-32 as Jahvah Braswell led the way with a game-high 12 boards for the Sailfish. The Mocs had 20 assists on 35 made baskets, blocked a season-high seven shots and shot 36 percent from the 3-point line in the victory.
The Mocs will return to Sunshine State Conference action this coming Wednesday, Feb. 20 as they travel to St. Petersburg for a 7:30 match-up against Eckerd College. FSC collected a 93-82 win over the Tritons in Lakeland on Jan. 16.
