Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - It was a tale of two halves for the Florida Southern women's basketball team in its 62-53 road loss to Valdosta State here on Thursday night.
The Blazers built what ultimately turned out to be an insurmountable lead in the first half. They led by as much as 23. However, Moccasins were more efficient in the second half, making a game out of what could have easily been a blowout win for the Blazers.
It appeared the shooting woes from the second half of FSC's win over Flagler on Nov. 15 carried over into the first half of Thursday'€™s contest. After sophomore forward Gianna Vastola (Sarasota, Fla.) scored the opening basket 20 seconds into the game, the Mocs went on a scoring drought that lasted approximately five minutes.
During that span, the Lady Blazers went on a 16-point run. FSC contributed to the run with five missed field goals and three turnovers. Junior guard Sydni Payne (Conyers, Ga.) ended the dry spell with a jumper at 14:26.
Valdosta State grabbed its largest lead of the night with 7:30 remaining in the first half. Junior Aliyah Johnson scored her only basket of the night to put her team ahead 34-11.
Vastola hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing FSC possession to spark a 12-5 run to close the half. Senior guard Cashala Thompson (Tucson, Ariz.) hit a 3-pointer of her own with 11 seconds remaining in the half and the Mocs trailed 39-23 heading into the locker room.
In the first half, FSC shot 28.6 percent (8-for-28) from the field while the Blazers buried 47.1 percent (16-for-34) of their shots. The Mocs were outrebounded 26-to-16, including 14-to-7 in offensive rebounds.
First-year head coach Betsy Harris instilled some life into her team in the second half. In the final 20 minutes, the Mocs were 50 percent from the field (12-for-24) and nearly turned a nightmare performance into a miraculous comeback.
Sophomore forward Christin Strawbridge (Lakeland, Fla.) first reduced the deficit to single digits midway through the second half. Her jumper at 10:19 made it 46-37. Vastola hit her second 3-point shot as the shot clock expired to make it a six-point game, 46-40, with 7:19 remaining.
The Mocs came within six points again with 2:37 left in regulation. Strawbridge and senior guard Syerra Davis (Tolleson, Ariz.) scored consecutive baskets to make it 53-47.
Valdosta State senior April Thomas landed the fatal blow, a 3-pointer, with a little over two minutes left to end any potential comeback by Florida Southern. Thomas led the Blazers with 13 points.
Four Mocs ended the game with double-digit points. Payne tied her career-high, which she set in last week's win over Flagler, with 13 points, followed by Thompson with 12, all off 3-pointers. Vastola scored 11 and Strawbridge had 10 while tying for the team lead with seven rebounds.
Florida Southern is now 3-12 all-time against Valdosta State.
The Mocs continue their road trip in the Peach State with a visit to Americus, Ga., to take on the Georgia Southwestern State Hurricanes on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.
