Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trailing by four points with five minutes left in regulation, No. 3 ranked Florida Southern scored 10 of the final 14 points in regulation to send the game with No. 2 ranked Bellarmine into overtime and in the extra session, the Moccasins outscored the Knights, 17-12 en route to earning a 101-96 victory in the finale of the Bellarmine Classic presented by Best Western at Knights Hall on the Bellarmine campus.
The victory, which was the Mocs third this season over a nationally-ranked foe and second against a top-three ranked team FSC earned an 80-75 win over then No. 3 ranked Metro State on Nov. 29 at the FSC/Terrace Hotel Classic in Lakeland, improved the Mocs record to 8-0 on the season and extended its win streak to 27 straight games against regular season non-conference foes. Bellarmine fell to 7-1 on the season with the setback.
"What an unbelievable college basketball game tonight against two high-level opponents," Mocs head coach Linc Darner said. "It was a great game. If you're a college basketball fan and came to the game tonight, you had to be impressed with both teams."
On a night when neither team had a lead of more than six points as Bellarmine's largest lead was six points in the first half, while FSC's biggest lead was five following the final two free throws of the game by sophomore guardMichael Volovic (Carmel, Ind.) with six seconds left in overtime.
"Neither team was able to get much of a lead in the game as it was a back-and-forth affair," said Darner. "There were a lot of big plays made tonight by a lot of different guys. Everyone played a role in this victory."
In overtime, the Mocs scored seven of the final nine points after Rusty Troutman tied the game for the 17th and final time on two free throws with 2:24 left. Following Troutman's two free throws, senior forward Stephen Battle (Waldorf, Md.) gave FSC a 97-94 with two minutes left on a lay-up and free throw to complete a 3-point play. Chris Whitehead pushed BU within a point as he drilled a jumper from just inside the 3-point line with 1:30 left to make the score, 97-96. The Mocs would seal the victory by hitting four straight free throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the victory.
Saturday's victory was keyed by strong shooting at the free throw line by the Mocs as they finished the game 38-for-45 at the line, including going a combined 30-for-35 (85.7 percent) at the line in the second half and overtime. In overtime, FSC was 8-for-9 at the line to collect the victory.
On the night, a combined 61 fouls were whistled in the game as the teams combined to shoot a total of 79 free throws as Bellarmine finished the game 24-for-34 at the line, but was 18-for-28 from the stripe in the second half and overtime.
FSC's strong night at the free throw line was needed in Saturday's victory as they shot 38 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line. Bellarmine finished the game shooting 54 percent from the field, but was held to 33 percent from long distance.
Senior All-American guard Kevin Capers (Winter Haven, Fla.) led five Mocs in double figures with 25 points, while Battle added 21 points and nine rebounds, including scoring 17 points after halftime. In addition to Capers and Battle, senior guard Tyler Kelly (Pickerington, Ohio) finished the night with 19 points and added a career-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Kelly went 8-for-11 at the line, including going 6-for-8 at the line in the second half and overtime.
The other two Mocs that scored in double figures were Volovic, who had 16 points and senior guard Tyler Logan(Landover, Md.) finished with 11 points in the win.
The Mocs, who trailed 39-34 at the half, rallied in the second half as they outscored the Knights, 50-45 in the second half to force overtime.
In the second half, the Mocs took its first lead of the game on a trey from Logan with 18:15 left in the regulation. The Knights, though, would score seven straight points to push back in front, 46-41.
FSC would respond with an 8-3 run to tie the game at 49 following two free throws by Capers with 14:19 left in regulation. The Knights would use a 16-11 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 65-60 lead following a lay-up by Jake Thelen, who finished the night with 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Knights.
Two free throws by Volovic and a trey from Capers with 7:57 left in regulation helped the Mocs retie the game at 65. BU, though, would answer once again with a 9-5 run to push out to a 74-70 lead with 5:01 left in the game. At the point, the Mocs would mount its rally as a lay-up by Battle pushed FSC within two at 74-72 and Logan would hit a trey with 3:59 left in the regulation to give the Mocs a 75-74 lead.
Over the final four minutes of regulation, neither team would lead by more than three points, which belonged to the Mocs on three free throws by Capers with 2:04 left after he was fouled on a three-point attempt. Thelen would help BU retie the game 11 seconds later on a 3-point play, before Battle hit two free throws with 1:35 remaining to give FSC an 82-80 lead.
Thelen would tie the game back-up 15 seconds later on a jumper, but FSC used two Kelly free throws with 26 seconds to push out to an 84-82 advantage. Troutman, though, would force overtime after hitting two free throws with 7.6 seconds left.
Along with Thelen's 29 points, Troutman added 18 points, including going 13-for-16 from the free throw line, while Whitehead tallied 17 points and 12 assists, but committed eight turnovers in the loss. Josh Sewell had 13 points off the bench and Josh Derksen contributed 10 points.
Bellarmine jumped out to a 5-0 lead just a little over a minute into the game, before the Mocs scored seven of the next nine points to tie the game at 7-all following a three-pointer by Capers. Neither team could take control of the game until BU used a 6-0 run to turn an 11-all tie into a 17-11 lead with 12:44 left in the opening half. FSC, though, would respond with an 11-5 run to tie the game at 22 following a trey from Volovic.
The Knights would use a 9-4 run to push in front 31-26, before FSC used a 6-2 run capped by a free throw from Kelly to pull within 33-32 with 2:15 remaining.
Bellarmine, though, would outscore the Mocs, 6-2, in the final two minutes of the half to take a 39-34 lead at the half.
In the first half, FSC shot just 31 percent from the field and 27 percent from the 3-point line, while Bellarmine shot 54 percent from the floor and 38 percent from the 3-point line.
On the night, the Mocs finished with a 43-40 edge on the boards, including a 27-17 edge on the glass in the second half and overtime. The Mocs also held a 19-9 edge on the offensive boards that led to a 23-9 edge in second chance points.
In addition to outrebounding the Knights, FSC forced Bellarmine into 23 turnovers that led to 24 points. FSC committed 17 turnovers on the night.
The Mocs also finished with a 43-40 edge on the glass and forced 23 turnover that led to 24 points. FSC had 17 turnovers in the win.
FSC will return to action this week as they will play three games at home in a span of four days to conclude the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule. The homestand will begin on Thursday, Dec. 18 against Limestone at 4 p.m., before facing Tuskegee on Friday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. and conclude stretch with a 6 p.m. game on Sunday, Dec. 21 against Miles College.
