ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Florida Southern used a 48 point second half to rally from a four-point halftime deficit en route to posting a 79-71 South Region road victory here Saturday afternoon over Claflin University at the Edward L. Tullis Arena.

Saturday's game was the third of a five-game stretch of road games for the Moccasins as they opened the road stretch with a 77-61 win last Saturday at Lynn, before earning a 60-55 win on Tuesday over Palm Beach Atlantic and will continue the stretch on Sunday at USC Aiken and conclude the road swing with a 5:30 p.m. game this coming Wednesday at Saint Leo. 

With the victory, the Moccasins improve to 6-0 on the season and match its second best start in school history. It is the fourth 6-0 start in school history and the first since the 2011-12 squad coached by Jarrod Olson opened the season by winning its first six games. The best start in school history is 16-0 set by the 1992-93 team coached by FSC Hall of Fame coach Norm Benn.

"I thought we didn't shoot the ball very well in the first half and we haven't here lately on the road, but I thought we played better and were more focused in the second half," Moccasin head coach Betsy Harris said following the game. "This is a special team, that hasn't peaked yet this season, but we also don't want to peak too early."

Sophomore guard Jensen Blassage (Cherry Valley, Ill.) was one of four Mocs to score in double figures as she tallied a season high of 22 points, including hitting four straight free throws in the last 20 seconds to seal the Mocs third consecutive road victory. Blassage scored 13 of her points after halftime, including finishing the game 12-of-13 from the free throw line. 

In addition to Blassage, senior guard Sydni Payne (Conyers, Ga.) added 17 points, including tallying 13 points in the second half, while senior forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.) and junior forward Gianna Vastola (Sarasota, Fla.) each had 14 points. Harris and Vastola also had 12 and 11 rebounds respectively in the victory for their first double-doubles of the year.

"Syndi really stepped up in the second half and did a great job after not being much of a factor in the first half," the Moccasin coach added.

The Mocs took control of the game midway through the third quarter as they used an 11-3 run over a span of four-plus minutes to turn a 42-all game into a 53-45 lead with 1:13 left in the quarter. The run began lay-up and free throw from Harris to complete a 3-point play and was capped by two free throws from Payne. The Lady Panthers would close the quarter by scoring five of the final seven points to give the Mocs a 55-50 edge after three quarters. FSC scored 24 points in the quarter.

Claflin, though, would respond by scoring the first five points of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 55. The Mocs would answer with a 9-0 run capped by a lay-up from Harris to give the Mocs a 64-55 advantage with 4:59 left in the game. After the Lady Panthers scored four straight points to pull within 64-59, the Mocs would use a 5-1 run capped by two Blassage free throws to push its lead to 69-60 with 3:01 remaining. 

The Lady Panthers, who fell to 3-3 with the loss, wouldn't go away as they used an 11-6 run over the next two-plus minutes to draw within 75-71. That would be as Claflin would get as Blassage connected on four straight free throws to seal the win.  

In the win, the Mocs shot 36 percent from the field and 20 percent from the 3-point line, but was strong at the free throw line as they connected on 24 of their 31 free throw attempts, including a 7-for-7 effort from the line. The Lady Panthers shot 44 percent from the field, but was just 4-for-16 (20 percent) from the 3-point line on the day. The Lady Panthers also went 17-for-25 from the free throw line and shot 68 percent at the charity stripe. 

The Mocs held a 55-32 edge on the glass, including collecting a season high 27 offensive boards. Along with 12 boards from Harris and 11 boards from Vastola, Payne had eight boards and Blassage pulled down seven boards and added six assists. The 55 rebounds were the most by the Mocs since pulling down 51 boards at Palm Beach Atlantic last season.

Claflin, who had three players in double figures, was paced by 16 point from Shaniece Brown, while Dominique Williams added 14 points and Ashley Field had 11 points in the loss. 

The first quarter was a high scoring affair as the two teams combined for 39 points, but the Lady Panthers scored five of the seven points of the quarter to hold a 20-19 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. Vastola (8 points) and Blassage (7 points) combined for 15 of FSC's 19 points. 

Claflin jumped out to a 32-27 lead with 2:09 left in the second quarter, before four straight points from Harris brought the Mocs within two at 33-31 with 43 seconds left. The Lady Panthers, though, took a 35-31 lead at the half thanks to a shot right before the buzzer from Brown, who scored 12 of her 16 points in the opening half. 

Florida Southern will have a little less than 24 hours to savor Saturday's win as they close out its two-game South Carolina road swing with a 1:30 p.m. game on Sunday, Nov. 29 at USC Aiken (4-1).