Box Score EVANSVILLE, IN - Jeremiah Davis poured in a season-high 21 points, but Florida Southern College men's basketball could not overcome a hot-shooting Southern Indiana team in a 108-94 loss on the first day of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Friday at the Ford Center. The Moccasins (1-3) scored 56 second-half points, but the Screaming Eagles (3-0) used a 12-point halftime advantage and went to the free-throw line 44 times en route to the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern and Southern Indiana played an exciting back-and-forth contest throughout the first five minutes of the contest, but the Eagles used a 12-3 run with 13:27 on the clock to turn a 12-12 deadlock into a 25-15 advantage. The Mocs battled back and cut the deficit to four points (42-38) with just under three minutes to play, but Southern Indiana ended the half on an 8-0 run to grab a 50-38 halftime lead.
• The Eagles were fueld by four first-half three-pointers and 15 trips to the charity stripe. The Moccasins went to the free-throw line just four times in the first 20 minutes, and were outscored 8-3 at the line in the first half. Jeril Taylor was the spark plug for Southern Indiana, as he scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the opening period.
• Southern Indiana started the second half on a 15-4 run to extend its lead to 23 points (65-42), but the Moccasins trimmed the deficit to 11 points (86-75) with 6:52 to play. However, the Eagles hit four-straight free throws to slow Florida Southern's momentum and push the lead back to 15 (90-75).
• The Mocs would put together one more run to cut Southern Indiana's lead to 10 points (98-88) with 3:12 to go, but the Eagles held on to remain undefeated.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern fell to 3-2 all-time against Southern Indiana and 131-73 all-time in neutral-site games. The Mocs are 0-2 all-time when facing the Eagles in Evansville.
• Four different Moccasins scored in double figures, led by Jeremiah Davis' 21 points. Davis shot 9-of-15 from the floor, while grabbing a team-best eight rebounds and dishing out two assists. Michael Volovic added 16 points and recorded a game-high five assists, Jarel Spellman tallied 11 points, and LaBrian Shiflet scored 14 off the bench.
• Southern Indiana went to the free-throw line 44 times compared to Florida Southern's 21. The Moc were outscored 40-26 in the paint, 19-12 off turnovers, 14-8 in second-chance points, and 6-2 on the fast break. Florida Southern finished with a 34-24 edge in bench points.
• The Eagles won the rebounding battle by a 47-38 tally. Florida Southern shot 46.1 percent (35-of-76) from the floor, including 9-of-22 from long range. The Mocs went 15-of-21 from the free-throw line.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern will face No. 3 Bellarmine at 7 p.m. on Saturday in its final game of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The contest is a rematch of the 2015 NCAA Division II national semifinal, which the Mocs won 79-76. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, WatchESPN, and the ESPN app.
• The Mocs return home over the Thanksgiving weekend with games against USC-Aiken on Nov. 26 and Molloy on Nov. 27.
