Box Score
TAMPA - Florida Southern closed out the road portion of its 2013-14 schedule here Wednesday evening by falling 69-45 to 20th-ranked Tampa in Sunshine State Conference action at the Bob Martinez Activities Center on the UT campus.
The Moccasins, who fell to 7-18 overall and 2-13 in the SSC, couldn't recover from a first half that saw the Spartans outscore the Mocs, 33-12. The 12 point half by the Mocs was its lowest point total in the first half this season and the lowest in a first half since scoring 12 points last season in a 51-31 home loss to Tampa.
FSC, though, would rally in the second half behind the offensive play of sophomore forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.), freshman forward Christin Strawbridge (Lakeland, Fla.) and sophomore guard Ali Sanders (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) as those three players combined to score 26 of FSC's 33 second half points.
Harris finished the game with her fifth double-double of the season as she tallied 20 points and had 10 rebounds, while Strawbridge finished with six points, all of which came in the second half and Sanders finished the night with eight and five rebounds for the Mocs. The eight point effort snapped Sanders' double figure scoring streak at nine games.
Trailing by 21 points at the half, the Mocs opened the second half by scoring eight of the first 12 points to pull within 37-20 following a lay-up by Harris with 16:15 remaining in the game. Harris scored six of her team's first eight second half points.
UT, who improved to 21-5 overall and 14-2 in the SSC, would respond with a 10-7 run to push its lead out to 20 points at 47-27 following a lay-up by Ellen Nurmi with 12:20 left in the game. Nurmi, who finished with 12 points on the night, was one of four Spartans to finish in double figures.
FSC would answer UT's run with a 7-2 run keyed by four points from Strawbridge to move within 49-34 with 10:09 remaining, before the Spartans, who have already claimed the regular season SSC title and will be the No. 1 seed in next week's SSC Tournament in Kissimmee, would once again respond with an 13-5 run to push its lead to 60-39 following a lay-up by Keke Jones with 3:09 left in the contest.
UT''s lead would eventually grow to 26 points on a three-pointer by Diamond Posey with 25 seconds remaining in the game, before Sanders capped the scoring on a lay-up with two seconds left.
Along with Harris, Strawbridge and Sanders, junior guard Syerra Davis (Tolleson, Ariz.) finished with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Mocs.
In addition to Nurmi's 12 points, Illyssa Vivo led the Spartans with 16 points, while Keke Jones had 11 and Aisha Rodney added 10 points in UT's win.
UT got points from three different players in opening up to a 6-0 lead just two minutes into the game. The Mocs, though, would score six of the next 10 points to pull within 10-6 with 11:37 left in the opening half.
The Spartans, though, would take control of the game as they scored 13 consecutive points to push its lead to 23-6 with 6:30 left in the first half.
Sanders would break a nearly eight minute scoreless drought for the Mocs with a lay-up with 5:21 left in the game. Sanders' bucket made the score, 25-8.
UT would close the half on a 7-4 run to take a 33-12 lead at the half.
The Mocs, who connected on just six of its 33 shots (18.2 percent) in the opening half, made 13 of its 28 second half shots (46 percent) and finished the game shooting 31 percent from the field. Tampa closed out the game shooting 51 percent from the field.
Both teams struggled from the 3-point line as the Mocs were 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from the 3-point line and UT hit three of its 11 three-point shot attempts for 27 percent.
The Mocs were outrebounded 39-35 and both teams finished with 16 turnovers apiece.
FSC will conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 1 as they host 18th-ranked Rollins in a 5:30 p.m. SSC tilt at Jenkins Field House. Following the game, the Mocs will honor forward Morgan Lamberg (Mukwonago, Wis.), its lone senior in a postgame ceremony.
