Mocs Return to Jenkins Field House Saturday, Put 12 Game Home Win Streak On Line Against Florida Tech.

LAKELAND - Florida Southern will put its 12 game home court winning streak on the line here Saturday evening as the reigning Division II National Champion Moccasins return home to Jenkins Field House for a 7:30 p.m. Sunshine State Conference showdown against Florida Tech.

The Mocs haven't lost on its home court since suffering a 107-102 loss at the hands of Barry in its SSC opener last season on Jan. 3, 2015. Since that loss to the Buccaneers, which ironically was the only loss of the 2014-15 campaign for Mocs, closed out last season winning its final 10 games and have opened this season by winning its first two home contests.

During halftime of the Saturday's game, the Mocs will formally celebrate 50 Years of Jenkins Field House. Jenkins Field House hosted its first Moccasin men's basketball game on Dec. 3, 1965 against Rollins in the Citrus Invitational Tournament. The Mocs won that first ever game in its new facility, 89-59 and have posted an impressive 686-171 record in the building its opening 40 years ago.

The Mocs comes into play on Saturday looking to rebound after having its four game win streak snapped on Wednesday with a 91-89 setback at Saint Leo. In the loss to the Lions, the Mocs held an 11 point lead (87-76) with 3:49 left in the game, before SLU ended the game on a 15-2 run to earn the come-from-behind win. With its loss on Wednesday, the Mocs fell to 4-3 overall on the season and 2-1 in the SSC.

Meanwhile, Florida Tech comes into action on Saturday having won three of its last four games overall and six of its first eight on the season. The Panthers, though, lost its most recent game this past Wednesday in overtime at Eckerd as the Tritons collected a 104-100 win. Along with being 6-2 on the season, Florida Tech is 1-1 in the SSC as along with its loss to Eckerd, the Panthers have also collected a 68-61 road win at Tampa. 

Saturday's game will mark Tech's third consecutive road game in SSC as they have yet to play a home conference game this season. In fact, both of its road games this season have been conference games as the Panthers are 1-1 on the road and are 5-1 at home on the year.

Saturday's game will mark the 97th all-time meeting in the series between the two schools and the first of two this season as the Mocs will play the Panthers in Melbourne on Feb. 6. FSC holds a 72-24 edge in the series and has won nine of the last 13 games in the series with one of those four losses coming in Lakeland during the 2012-13 season. FSC is 36-10 at home against Tech and has won nine of the last 10 games in the series on its homecourt, while also holding a 27-13 edge in Melbourne. 

Saturday's game will feature two teams that like to get up-and-down the court and score points as both teams are averaging over 80 points per game as FSC is averaging 83.4 points per game and has scored 85 or more points in its last four games, including a season high 98 points in its last SSC game at Lynn on Nov. 21, while Tech is averaging 85.2 points per game and has scored 90 or more points in four games, including twice in its last three games.   

Defensively, the teams are first and third in the SSC in blocked shots as Tech is averaging a league-best 4.4 blocks per game and the Mocs are averaging 3.9 blocks per contest. In addition, the Mocs are strong at defending the 3-point line as their opponents are shooting just 35 percent from the 3-point line on the season. Additionally, FSC's opponents are shooting just 43.4 percent from the field and are averaging 81.1 points per game, including three of its last four foes scoring 80 or more points, while Tech's opponents are shooting 48 percent from the floor, 41 percent from the 3-point line and the Panthers are allowing 81.5 points per game, including five of its foes scoring over 80 points on the year. 

Leading the way for the Panthers on the season is senior forward Corbin Jackson, who is averaging 13.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game and is shooting 65 percent from the field and has recorded five-doubles, but has missed the last two games due to an injury. In addition to Jackson three other Panthers are averaging in double figure as sophomore guard Sam Daniel is averaging 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 55 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the 3-point line, while sophomore guard Patrick Anderson is averaging 12.1 points per game and is shooting 44 percent from the field and 38 percent from long distance and the final double-digit scorer is redshirt senior forward Randy Echols, who is averaging 11.4 points per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field and 51 percent from the 3-point line off the bench. 

The Panthers are coached by Billy Mims, who is 160-136 in his 11th season at Tech and is 248-245 in his 18th year as a collegiate head coach. Mims is the all-time winningest coach in Florida Tech history and is no stranger to the league as he spent six seasons (1988-94) at Barry. 

FSC will counter on Saturday with two of the top scorers in the SSC this season as senior guard Dylan Travis (Omaha, Neb.), who was named the Division II Bulleting  leads the league in scoring as he is averaging 24.1 points per game and senior guard Dominique Williams (Haines City, Fla.) is sixth in the SSC in scoring as he is averaging 18.5 points per game.

Along with his 24.1 points per game average, Travis, who has scored in double figures in all seven games, including scoring 20 or more points the past two games, is also averaging 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and 78 percent at the foul line and has a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio, while Williams is averaging 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and has scored in double figures in five straight games, including topping 20-plus points the last two times he's played. 

In addition to Travis and Williams, two other Mocs are averaging in double figures on the season as junior guard Sheldon Zablotny (Erie, Pa.) is averaging 12.6 points per game off the bench and is shooting 43 percent from the floor and 86 percent at the free throw and has scored in double figures in five games, including scoring 16 points each in three of its last four outings and the final double-digit scorer is junior guard Michael Volovic (Carmel, Ind.), who has missed the last five games since suffering a foot injury in the second game of the season against Delta State, is averaging 11.0 points and 3.0 assists per game, but it shooting just 26 percent from the field and 27 percent (4-for-15) from the 3-point line. 

Following Saturday's game, the Mocs will hit the road for two straight games as they being the road swing on Monday, Dec. 7 with an 8:30 p.m. Eastern non-conference game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against Stillman College, before traveling to West Palm Beach next Saturday, Dec. 12 for a 4 p.m. non-conference South Region match-up against Palm Beach Atlantic.