Moccasin Game Notes
AIKEN, S.C. - Florida Southern looks to extend its winning streak to four consecutive games here on Sunday afternoon as the reigning National Champion Moccasins face USC Aiken in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference tilt at the Convocation Center on the USC Aiken campus.
The Moccasins come into Sunday's game sporting a 3-2 overall record and have won three consecutive games since dropping back-to-back games to open the 2015-16 season to West Alabama and Delta State at the SSC/GSC Challenge in Livingston, Ala. Those two losses marked the first 0-2 start for the Mocs since the 1978-79 season.
FSC hasn't played since earning a 94-67 home win on Tuesday over Puerto Rico-Bayamon. The win over Puerto Rico-Bayamon extended the Mocs home court win streak to 13 consecutive games and also extended its mastery over regular season non-conference foes on its home court to 23 games.
"We're ready to get back on the court tomorrow. It will be another tough game for our team and we better be ready to play, because USC Aiken is a really good team that will provide us with some challenges," said first year Moccasin head coach Mike Donnelly.
Leading the way for the Mocs through the first five games of the season is senior guard Dylan Travis (Omaha, Neb.). Travis, who was named both this week's USBWA Division II National Player of the Week and the Sunshine State Conference Offensive Player of the Week, is averaging 23 points per game, which is second in the SSC and is also pulling down 7.4 boards per game, which is tied for fifth in the SSC. Travis, who has scored 20 or more points in four of five games, including a career high 30 against Delta State, is shooting 45 percent from the field and 75 percent at the foul line.
In addition to Travis, three other Mocs are scoring in double figures as senior guard Dominique Williams (Haines City, Fla.) is averaging 15.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 45 percent from the floor and has scored in three straight games, while junior guard Sheldon Zablotny (Erie, Pa.) is averaging 13.4 points per game and has hit a team-best nine 3-pointers and has reached double figures in four of five contests, including three straight double figure scoring outings and junior guard Michael Volovic (Carmel, Ind.), who has missed the last three games due to injury, is averaging 11.0 points per game on the year.
As a team, the Mocs are averaging 81.4 points per game and have scored 90 or more in two consecutive games, including a season high 98 in its 98-91 win last Saturday at Lynn. Along with averaging 81.4 points per contest, the Mocs are shooting 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line and 69.6 percent from the free throw line and are averaging 7.8 made treys per game.
On defense, the Mocs are allowing 79.4 points per game, but have held two of its last three foes to less than 75 points, including limiting Puerto Rico-Bayamon to 67 points in its last outing and FSC's opponents are shooting 42 percent from the field and 34 percent from the 3-point line and have forced 15.8 turnovers for a +1.6 turnover margin.
FSC's opponent on Sunday, USC Aiken, comes into the game having lost three of its first four games as they are sporting a 1-3 record. The Pacers, who haven't played since suffering an 87-79 loss last Saturday at Carson-Newman, earned its only win of the season at home against Paine on Nov. 18. In that game, the Pacers scored a season high 97 points in its 97-84 victory. One of USCA's losses came in its season opener to Mount Olive, who advanced to the Elite Eight a season ago and will face the Mocs in Lakeland on Dec. 19. The Pacers fell 81-64 to UMO in the season opener.
The Pacers are led by the play of junior guard Jevon Patton and redshirt senior guard Keith Belfield as those two are averaging a combined 55.3 points per game. Patton is averaging 23 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line, while Belfield, who was this week's Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week, is averaging 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 41 percent from the floor, 42 percent from the 3-point line and 81 percent at the foul line. As a team, USCA is averaging 79.3 points per game.
"Patton and Belfield are really good offensive players, so we will need to be able to do a good job on them defensively and not them let get loose offensively," the Mocs coach added.
Other key players for the Pacers are senior forward Arbry Butler and senior guard Jordan Foster. Butler leads the team in rebounding as he is averaging 9.8 boards per contest and is also scoring 8.0 points per game and is shooting 55 percent from the field and has blocked 11 shots, while Foster is averaging 6.5 points per game and is shooting 37 percent from the floor and 36 percent from long distance.
The Pacers are coached by Josh Vanderslice, who is in his first season at USCA after spending the past five seasons at Louisburg Junior College. In five seasons at Louisburg, Vanderslice went 152-20 and was 94-11 in conference games. Vanderslice replaced former Pacer coach Vince Alexander, who stepped down at the end of last season to accept the head coaching position at Saint Leo. In his time at USCA, Alexander went 196-113 and led the program to an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2014.
Sunday's game will mark just the fourth meeting ever between the two schools as the Mocs hold a 2-1 edge in the series. The Mocs won the first two games in the series, before USCA won the most recent meeting 77-75 in Lakeland on Nov. 20, 2010. The last time the Mocs faced the Pacers in Aiken in 2009, FSC earned an 87-74 win as current Moccasin volunteer assistant coach Terry Jenkins scored a team high 28 points.
Following Sunday's game, the Mocs will remain on the road as they travel to Saint Leo for a 7:30 p.m. SSC match-up against the Lions.
