Box Score
LAKELAND - In a back-and-forth contest throughout, it was Florida Tech that prevailed over the Florida Southern Moccasins late in the second half taking a thrilling 63-62 Sunshine State Conference game at Jenkins Field House.
FSC, who fell to 4-11 overall and 0-6 in the league, fell for the ninth straight time this season. The visiting Panthers, meanwhile, improved their record to 12-5 and 3-2 in the SSC.
Four Moccasin players either tied or topped season and career highs in the loss. Sophomore forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.) dropped a career-high 25 points on the Panthers, smashing her previous mark of 15 set against the same Florida Tech team nearly 11 months earlier, while sophomore guard Sydni Payne (Conyers, Ga.) tied a career-high in points with 11 set earlier this season against Puerto Rico-Bayamon.
While Harris and Payne were setting and tying marks in scoring, two Mocs established new highs in rebounding. Senior forward Morgan Lamberg (Mukwonago, Wis.) pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, beating the mark she set four days earlier against Saint Leo, while junior guard Syerra Davis (Tolleson, Ariz.) topped her previous career-high of eight rebounds against Eckerd by pulling down 10 tonight.
In the 69th all-time meeting between the schools, Tech and FSC traded threes in the opening minutes before the visitors went up by as much as 10 with 14:51 to go before FSC stormed back with a 14-2 run. The run, started by a layup from freshman forward Danielle Thomas (Conyers, Ga.), lasted just over eight minutes and gave the Mocs a 21-19 lead.
Florida Tech was held scoreless for the majority of the run, not scoring their first basket until guard Rita Acevedo sank two consecutive free throws to tie the game at 21 with 5:44 to go in the half. Florida Tech was also unable to score off a field goal during FSC's lengthy run until a jumper from forward Ida Gustaffson at 3:13 brought the Panther to within one.
The teams traded baskets for the remaining three minutes of the half, tying the score twice before a three-pointer from Payne was followed by a trey from guard Kayk Wilson with six seconds before the half tied the game at 31 going into the break.
Harris scored 11 of her 25 points in the first half, while Payne scored seven points off the bench. Lamberg led the Mocs in first-half rebounding with nine, with Davis following close behind with six. For the Panthers, Wilson led with 16 points while Acevedo pulled down a team-leading six rebounds in the first period of play.
The first half was tightly contested throughout, especially in the final six minutes of action, with three of the five tie scores coming in that time period. FSC outrebounded Tech, 28-14, while blocking five shots to their one. The Mocs, however, turned the ball over 12 times compared to Tech's two.
Florida Southern began the second half of action with a three-pointer from junior guard Cashala Thompson (Tucson, Ariz.) to go up three before three straight Harris baskets put the Mocs up 40-32 early in the second. Harris' fifth basket of the half gave FSC their largest lead of the game at 10, and it looked like Florida Southern was going to snap their losing streak.
The Panthers, however, wouldn't give up. They scored four consecutive points to pull to within six before a layup from freshman forward Christin Strawbridge (Lakeland, Fla.) put the Mocs back up eight. Six more Panther points inched the visiting team closer to tying the game before a three-pointer from sophomore guard Ali Sanders (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) put the Mocs lead at seven before Florida Tech answered right back with an Acevedo layup to pull to within five with 8:32 to go in the game.
Free throws from Sanders brought the Mocs' lead back to seven before 13 unanswered points put Tech up 59-53 with under five minutes to play. A Harris layup snapped the scoring streak, but another Gustaffson layup put the Panthers up six again.
The Mocs fought back, scoring six points in a little over a minute to pull to within two with 1:57 remaining. The Mocs had a chance to tie the score after Payne was fouled late with 50 seconds remaining down two. Although she hit her first free throw to cut the lead to one, her second shot failed to go in and Florida Southern was forced to play defense.
The Mocs forced a Tech turnover with 19 seconds to go and drove the ball the length of the court to set up a last second shot by Thompson, but the ball clanged off the rim and into Florida Tech possession to end the game.
FSC outrebounded Florida Tech 48-33, along with dishing out 19 assists to Tech's 12. The Mocs also outscored Florida Tech 30-26 in the paint and scored more points off second chances (17-7) and scored more bench points (19-11).
However, the Mocs were bit by the turnover bug in Saturday's game, giving the ball away 25 times compared to the Panthers' 10. Tech also scored 27 points off those turnovers, while FSC was only able to score eight points of Tech's miscues.
The Mocs return to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 5:30 p.m. for a home game against the Tampa Spartans. UT is 10-5 overall and 4-2 in the SSC after downing Lynn 77-52 early Saturday afternoon in Tampa.
