Moccasin Game Notes | WatchESPN app
LAKELAND - The top two teams in the Sunshine State Conference will meet for the first time this season on the hardwood on Saturday afternoon as Florida Southern travels to Davie for a 2 p.m. showdown against 11th-ranked Nova Southeastern at the NSU Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 as part of its NCAA Division II National Game of the Week package.
Both teams come into Saturday's game riding long winning streaks and have combined to post a 28-2 record on the season and an 11-1 mark in the SSC.
Florida Southern, who is ranked 21st in the latest D2SIDA National Media Poll and received 48 votes in this week's USA Today Sports/WBCA Division II Coaches' Poll, enters Saturday's game having won six straight games and 14 of its first 15 to open the 2015-16 season and is in second place in the SSC with a 5-1, while Nova Southeastern, who is ranked 11th in the USA Today Sports/WBCA Coaches' Poll and is seventh in the D2SIDA National Media Poll, comes into play having won nine consecutive games and 14 of its 15 games to open the year and is a perfect 6-0 in league play.
One thing is for certain on Saturday, one team will leave NSU Arena Saturday afternoon with their first loss in the New Year and just their second loss overall on the season.
The Moccasins, who haven't lost since falling 73-61 at home to Florida Tech on Dec. 5, haven't played in a week since improving to 14-1 on the season following its hard-fought 73-65 home victory last Saturday against Eckerd. The win against Eckerd extended the Mocs SSC win streak to two straight games and its home win streak to five consecutive games since that setback against Florida Tech. The 14-1 start to the season is the second best start in school history as only the 16-0 start by the 1992-93 squad coached by FSC Hall of Famer Norm Benn is better.
Saturday's game at Nova Southeastern will mark the seventh road game of the season for the Mocs and the road is a place where the Mocs have flourished this season as they are 6-0 away from home and its six-game road win streak is tied for the seventh longest streak in Division II women's basketball. In six road games this season, the Mocs are averaging 74.7 points per game and have outscored its six foes by nearly 10 points per game and have scored 70 or more points in four of the six games.
The Mocs, though, have had little success lately playing at NSU Arena as they are 0-3 in its last three visits to the building and have lost those three games by an average margin of 28.3 points per game. Last season, the Mocs fell 86-69 at NSU, while falling 110-65 in 2013-14 and 76-53 in 2012-13. The Mocs are 10-6 all-time when playing at Nova Southeastern, but hasn't won at NSU since picking up a 77-67 win on Feb. 26, 2011. Since that victory, FSC has lost four straight games at NSU.
Saturday's game will mark the 33rd all-time meeting between the two teams as Nova Southeastern holds a slight 17-15 edge in the series and has won three of the last four games in the series with FSC's lone victory being a 78-63 win last season in Lakeland.
Ironically, the last time these two teams met in the Division II Game of the Week that was broadcast on the CBS Sports Network on Feb. 9, 2013, the Mocs picked up a 73-70 overtime win in Lakeland over the Sharks. In that game, the Mocs forced overtime on a half-court buzzer beating shot from Melanie Ducott.
Saturday's game will not only be a match-up between the top two team record wise in the SSC, but it will also be a battle between the top two offensive teams in the SSC.
FSC comes into the game second in the league in scoring (75.6 ppg), scoring margin (+11.0), field goal percentage (45.4 percent) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1) and leads the league in free throw shooting (75.3 percent) and is third in the SSC in 3-point field goal percentage (37 percent) and rebound margin (+2.5), while Nova Southeastern leads the league in scoring offense (77.1 ppg), scoring margin (+12.5), field goal percentage (46.8 percent) and assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and is third in free throw shooting (72.7 percent), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (36.1 percent) and second in 3-pointers made per game (7.7).
Leading the way offensively for the Mocs through the first 15 games of the season is senior forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.). Harris leads the team in both scoring and rebounding as she is averaging 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 58 percent from the field and has reached double figures in 11 of her last 12 games, including five consecutive games of scoring in double figures and has had five or more boards in nine of her last 11 games. Harris comes into Saturday's game 149 points shy of becoming the 20th member of the school's 1,000 Point Club.
In addition to Harris, sophomore guard Jensen Blassage (Cherry Valley, Ill.) is second on the team in scoring as she is averaging 12.2 points per game and is also averaging 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game and is shooting 44 percent from the field and 91 percent (49-for-54) from the free throw line. She is 11th in the SSC in scoring and is third in the league in assists and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.9). Blassage, who has scored in double figures in 10 games, including nine times in her last 11 games, is a two-time SSC Player of the Week selection this season, including winning this past week's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
The Mocs third double-digit scorer this season is senior guard Sydni Payne (Conyers, Ga.) as she is averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is fifth in the SSC in steals as she averages 1.9 per game. She is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and 84 percent at the line and has reached double figures in seven games and has had a team best two double-doubles on the year.
While its offense is one of the best in the SSC, the Mocs defense has also been strong this season as they are allowing 64.6 points per game and have held six of its last seven foes under 70 points and is allowing its opponents to shoot 42.1 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from the 3-point line and they are third in the league in steals as they average 9.3 per game.
Meanwhile, the Sharks offensive attack is paced by junior forward Kayla Wright is averaging 15.0 points amd 5.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 58 percent from the field. Wright, who was named this week's SSC Player of the Week, is third in the league in scoring and second in field goal shooting.
In addition to Wright, the Sharks other two double-digit scorers are senior guard Taylor Buie and redshirt senior guard Monaye Merritt. Buie, who missed all of last season due to injury, is averaging 13.8 points and 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 45 percent from the floor and 43 percent from the 3-point line and Merritt is averaging 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free throw line.
On defense, NSU is allowing 64.6 points per game and its opponents are shooting 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from the 3-point line. In addition, NSU is forcing 15.5 turnovers per game and is averaging 8.7 steals per game.
Nova Southeastern is coached by LeAnn Freeland and she has compiled a 108-32 record in her fifth season with the Sharks and is 197-67 in her ninth season as a collegiate head coach. She has led the Sharks to two regular season SSC titles in the last three seasons and two consecutive SSC Tournament championships.
Following Saturday's game, the Mocs will conclude the first half of SSC play on Wednesday, Jan. 20 as they travel to Winter Park for a 5:30 p.m. at Rollins.
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