Box Score LAKELAND – The Florida Southern women's basketball team was firing on all cylinders Saturday night at Jenkins Field House as the Moccasins pulled out a 15-point upset victory over the 24th-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks.
With the 78-63 win, the Mocs evened their record at 10-10 (4-6 SSC) while snapping a three-game losing streak. In those three loses, the offense averaged 47.0 points per game. The Mocs, however, looked like a completely different team Saturday, shooting a season-best 56.4 percent from the field.
"We worked a lot on our shooting this week because we haven't been shooting well in the past few games, so it paid off," said sophomore forward Christin Strawbridge.
Added Strawbridge, "We were really moving the ball better, driving better. We came into this game really, really wanting to win. I think the chemistry, everybody passing to each other, we were having more fun today and that stuff really leads to a win."
It marks the first win over a ranked opponent for first-year head coach Betsy Harris. The last time FSC defeated a ranked opponent was nearly two years ago to the date, and coincidentally, was also against the Sharks. On Feb. 9, 2013, the Mocs defeated No. 20 Nova Southeastern, 73-70.
"I always said this team can beat anybody we want to when we play," Betsy Harris said. "I'm really hoping we can build upon this and the girls can see we can keep winning these games if they want to."
Four different Mocs scored double-digit points, led by a career-high 16 for freshman guard Jensen Blassage (Rockford, Ill.). Junior forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.) added 14, followed by 13-point performances from both Strawbridge and junior guard Sydni Payne (Conyers, Ga.).
Blassage also dished out four assists, recorded three steals, pulled down three rebounds and made her first career 3-pointer.
Strawbridge turned in her third double-double of the season. The 6-1 forward from Lakeland had 10 boards to go along with her 13 points.
Saturday's game was a mirror opposite of the loss to the then-No.11 Sharks on Jan. 10. In the first contest, FSC shot a mere 28.0 percent and was dominated in the paint, 41-to-14.
The Mocs outscored the Sharks (16-5, 8-3 SSC) 46-to-18 in the paint in the upset. Betsy Harris said part of the reason was the absence of NSU redshirt senior forward Jasmine Wilkins in the post. She netted 20 points in the game at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in January, and entered the game ranked seventh in the SSC in offense with 13.2 points per game while leading the league in field goal percentage (61.7 percent). Wilkins sat out Saturday with an ankle injury.
"It was a difference not having Jasmine down there," said the Moccasin coach. "I think Jasmine is the best post player in this league. She is very hard to guard; she's a very physical player."
It looked the like Mocs might be headed for another long night in the opening minutes of the matchup. They went scoreless for nearly four minutes while the Sharks jumped ahead 6-0. A Molly Bloomer 3-pointer at 15:21 made it 9-2 in favor of the visitors.
The Mocs went on a 17-to-5 run over the next seven-and-a-half minutes to surpass the Sharks and take a 19-14 lead.
With the remainder of the half going back-and-forth, it appeared the score would be even at the break, but senior guard Cashala Thompson (Tucson, Ariz.) netted a last-second trey to give the Mocs a 33-30 halftime advantage.
The Sharks used the 3-point shot to keep themselves in the game and eventually regain the lead. They went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc in the first 11 minutes of the second half. With the Mocs up by three, Bloomer sunk a triple to draw the score even at 54-all. Thirty-five seconds later, Danielle Robinson put NSU up, 54-51.
Nova Southeastern finished 11-for-36 from beyond the arc.
With a 63-60 lead in the final four minutes of regulation, FSC went on an impressive 15-3 run to close the game. Payne scored 10 of her 13 points during that span.
Florida Southern returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 11 when it hosts Saint Leo at 5:30 p.m. at Jenkins Field House. The Mocs defeated the Lions in an 81-80 thriller in Saint Leo on Jan. 7 in the first game of the season series.
