Mocs Second-Half Rally Falls Short At Lynn

BOCA RATON - Florida Southern hit the road for the first time in a little over a month here Saturday afternoon as the Moccasins second-half rally fell just short as it fell 57-54 to Lynn in Sunshine State Conference action at the de Hoernle Center.

The Mocs, who trailed by as much as 13 points in the first half, outscored the Fighting Knights, 31-26 in the second half to rally from an eight-point deficit at halftime. Lynn led 31-23 at halftime.

With the setback, the Mocs fall to 4-9 overall on the season and 0-4 in the SSC, while Lynn improves to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in the league. The loss was FSC's sixth straight overall and sixth straight in SSC play dating to last season's 60-53 home win over Florida Tech.

Trailing 38-28 just a little over four minutes into the second half, the Mocs used a 13-6 run to pull within 44-41 following a bucket by senior forward Morgan Lamberg (Mukwonago, Wis.) with 7:49 left in the game.

After two free throws by Tylar Tracy gave LU a 46-41 lead, junior guard Cashala Thompson (Tucson, Ariz.) came right back and hit a trey to pull FSC within two points at 46-44 with 7:03 remaining.

The Mocs would then use a 6-3 run to take a 50-49 following a lay-up by freshman forward Christin Strawbridge (Lakeland, Fla.) with 5:03 left in the game. Strawbridge matched her career-high with 15 points, including scoring 11 points in the second half.

LU, though, would answer with a 3-pointer from Zachara Bailey just 24 seconds later to take a 52-50 lead. Strawbridge would hit a lay-up with 4:20 left to retie the game at 52. The Fighting Knights would use two free throws by Sharneka McCatty to take a 54-52 lead with 4:09 left.

Following McCatty's free throws, the Mocs would once again tie the game on a lay-up by Lamberg with a little less than four minutes left. Lamberg's bucket would be the final one of the game for the Mocs as they were held scoreless over the final 3:56 of the game.

Lamberg finished the game with 10 points and six rebounds for the Mocs. It was her first double-digit scoring game of the season and 19th of her Moccasin career.

Neither team would score for a little over a minute until LU retook the lead at 56-54 on a basket by Jayde Sparks with 2:47 left. The Mocs had a chance to tie the game, but sophomore guard Ali Sanders (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 attempt to keep the score at 56-54.

The Knights would push its lead to 57-54 after Shatorria Baker hit 1-of-2 free throws with 1:22 left. On the ensuing Mocs possession, Lamberg and sophomore forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.) each missed shot attempts in the paint.  

Baker's free throw would be the final points of the game as the teams combined to the final five shots of the game.

In addition to Strawbridge and Lamberg, Thompson finished the game with eight points, while Sanders added five points, six rebounds and three assists in the loss.

Lynn was paced by McCatty, who finished with 18 points and 11 boards, while Tracy and Bailey each added 10 points in the victory that snapped the Fighting Knights two-game losing skid.

Turnovers were the biggest difference in Saturday's game as the Mocs finished with 15 for the game, while Lynn had 11. FSC's 15 turnovers led to Lynn holding a 16-7 edge in points off turnovers, including a 13-4 edge in the first half as FSC committed 11 turnovers.

The Mocs finished the game shooting 49 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line and dished out a game-high 17 assists as Lamberg had a career-high seven assists.

Lynn shot 38 percent from the field and 20 percent from the 3-point line and held a 34-31 edge on the glass. The Fighting Knight also blocked seven shots, including a 3-point attempt by Thompson with 16 seconds left in the game that would've tied the game.

In the first half, the Fighting Knights used a 12-2 run over a span of a little over three minutes in the first half to turn a 17-14 lead into a 29-16 advantage.

FSC, though, used two straight baskets from Lamberg to pull within 29-20 with 2:27 left in the opening half. The teams would trade baskets in the final two minutes of the half as LU's Isidora Madzarevic scored on a lay-up and sophomore guard Sydni Payne (Conyers, Ga.) hits a trey to give Lynn its 31-23 lead at the half.

The Mocs will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 15 as they travel to Saint Leo for a 5:30 p.m. SSC match-up against the Lions.