Mocs Look to Remain Perfect, Host Florida Tech on Saturday

LAKELAND - Florida Southern will look to remain perfect on the season here Saturday evening as the third-ranked Moccasins return home to Jenkins Field House for a key Sunshine State Conference battle against Florida Tech. Tip-off for Saturday's game is set for 7:30 p.m. and will mark the start of a two-game homestand for the Mocs, who have won 13 straight games on its home court dating to last season.

The Mocs current 13-game home court win streak began with a 76-73 victory over Rollins to close out the 2012-13 regular season and the Rollins win came nearly a week after Florida Tech picked up an 83-78 win over the Mocs in Jenkins Field House. Since that five-point loss to Tech, the Mocs have lost only one other game, which was to Western Washington in last season's NCAA Division II Elite Eight national quarterfinal in Louisville, Ky. The Mocs have posted a 24-1 record since losing to the Panthers as they closed last season by winning eight of its final nine games and have opened this season winning its first 16 games.

FSC, who is ranked third in this week's latest NABC/Division II Coaches' Poll, is sporting a perfect 16-0 overall record and is 5-0 in the SSC after posting an impressive 92-86 win on Wednesday at Saint Leo. The 16-0 start is the third in school history and the first since opening the 2002-03 season by winning its first 16 games. In addition, the 16 game winning streak is tied with East Stroudsburg (Pa.) for the longest active win streak in Division II men's basketball and the Mocs are one of six D-II schools still undefeated on the season.

Meanwhile, Florida Tech comes into action on Saturday having won six of its last eight games with its only losses coming at Saint Leo (92-80) and at home to Rollins (73-67) to open the 2014 calendar year. The Panthers, though, haven't played since collecting a 71-66 home win last Saturday over Tampa to snap its two-game losing skid and improve to 12-3 overall on the season and move to 2-2 in the SSC. Tech's other win in league play came at home against Lynn on Dec. 7 as they earend a 103-81 victory.

Saturday's game will mark the 93rd all-time meeting in the series between the two schools and the first of two this season. FSC holds a 68-24 edge in the series and has won seven of the last 11 games with three of those four losses coming in Melbourne and the most recent loss happening in Lakeland. FSC is 34-10 at home against Tech and has won seven of the last eight games in the series on its homecourt, while also holding a 25-13 edge in Melbourne. Mocs eighth-year head coach Linc Darner is 11-6 against the Panthers, including being 8-1 against Tech in Lakeland.

Saturday's game will feature two teams that like to get up-and-down the court as the Mocs and Tech are No. 1 and No. 3 in the league in scoring and field goal percentage as FSC is averaging a league-best 90.6 points and is shooting an SSC-best 48.4 percent from the floor, while Tech is averaging 82.9 points per game and shooting 46.4 percent from the field. In addition, both teams are first and second in the league in steals as the Mocs are averaging an SSC-best 9.1 steals per game, while Tech is second in the steals as they average 8.1 per game.

Saturday's game will feature two teams that play almost the same style as the Mocs and Tech are No. 1 and 2 in the league in scoring and scoring margin as FSC is averaging an SSC-best 86.4 points per game and is outscoring its foes by 12 points per contest, while Tech is averaging 81.1 points per game and is outscoring its foes by 7.6 points per outing. In addition, both teams rank near the top of the league in steals as Tech leads the SSC and is fifth nationally as they average 11.3 per game, while FSC is second in the league and sixth nationally as they average 11.1 thefts per game.

Defensively, both teams rank near the top of the SSC statistics in field goal percentage defense, 3-point field goal defense and turnover margin. On the season, FSC is allowing its foes to shoot 43.1 percent from the field, 30.8 from the 3-point line and has a turnover margin of +4.7, while Tech is allowing its foes to shoot 41 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and has a +0.7 turnover margin. Additionally, Tech is averaging an SSC-best 5.7 blocks per game, while FSC is second in the league in free throw shooting at 73.7 percent.

The Panthers, who have posted a 51-21 overall record and a 23-13 mark in SSC since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, have three players rank in the Top 10 of the SSC in scoring as junior guard Chris Carter leads the way as he is averaging an SSC-best 20.5 points per game and is also averaging 4.3 rebounds and an SSC-best 8.1 assists and an SSC-best 2.5 steals per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 74 percent from the foul line. On the season, Carter has scored 20 or more points in nine games and has reached double digits in 14 games and has recorded five double-doubles.

Along with Carter, the Panthers, who are coached by Billy Mims, who is 134-111 in his ninth season at Tech and is 222-220 in his 16th year as a collegiate head coach, other two other double figure scorers are junior guard Jermaine Jackson and redshirt sophomore forward Corbin Jackson. Jackson is third in the league in scoring at 19.2 points per game and is also averaging 3.7 rebound and 2.1 assists per game and is shooting 47 percent from the floor and has had eight 20-plus point efforts and has tallied double figures in all 15 games, while Corbin Jackson is seventh in the SSC in scoring (15.5 points/game) and leads the league in both rebounding (11.2 board/game) and blocked shots (3.5 blocks/game). The Carson-Newman transfer has recorded 11 double-doubles and two triple-doubles and is shooting 54 percent from the field and is a two-time SSC Player of the Week honoree.

While Tech has three players ranked in the Top 10 in the SSC in scoring, the Mocs counter with an offense that has eight players averaging 7.5 points or better on the season, including three players averaging in double figures. Leading the way for the Mocs is junior guard Kevin Capers (Winter Haven, Fla.), who is averaging 17.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per games and is shooting 52 percent from the field and 77 percent at the foul line. On the season, Capers, who is 20th on the career scoring chart with 1,148 career points, has scored in double figures in 13 games, including a team-best eight game of scoring 20 or more points.

In addition to Capers, the Mocs other two double-digit scorers are senior guard Dominic Lane (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and junior forward Stephen Battle (Waldorf, Md.). Lane, who stands 27th on the school's career scoring chart with 1,076 points, is averaging  14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent at the foul line and he has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 12 games, while Battle, who is a transfer from Gannon (Pa.) University, is averaging 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and is second in the SSC in field goal percentage (60.4 percent) and has reached double figures in nine of 16 games, including seven times in his last 12 outings.  

Following Saturday's game, the Mocs conclude its brief two-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 22 with a 7:30 p.m. SSC tilt against Tampa (10-4 overall, 3-2 SSC). The Spartans, who are currently in second place in the SSC standings, will play host to Lynn on Saturday before traveling to Lakeland on Wednesday.

Live stats will be available here: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=30016.

Live webcast and audio broadcast of the game will be available here: http://fscmocs.nmtvsports.com.

Complete Florida Tech Game Notes