Box Score EVANSVILLE, IN - A 12-0 run by No. 3 Bellarmine late in the first half proved to be too much as Florida Southern College men's basketball lost, 97-61, on the final day of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Moccasins (1-4) led 22-21 with 7:10 to go in the first half, but the Knights (3-1) held Florida Southern scoreless for nearly five minutes and scored 12 unanswered points en route to the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern got out to an early lead thanks to a trio of early three-pointers that helped put the Mocs up 13-12 wit 14:46 to play in the first half. After Bellarmine came back to take a 21-20 lead with 9:53 on the clock, FSC clamped down defensively and did not allow a bucket over the next three-plus minutes.
• The Mocs took a 22-21 lead when Jeremiah Davis connected on a jumper with just over seven minutes to go, but a three-pointer from Bellarmine's Brent Bach with 6:02 to go put the Knights back up by two (24-22) and started the 12-0 run that swung momentum squarely in favor of Bellarmine.
• Florida Southern was unable to get in a groove offensively, as it scored just seven points over the final 7:10 as the Knights took a 43-29 lead into the half.
• The Mocs were unable to mount much of a threat in the second half as Bellarmine extended the lead to 20 points (51-31) with 17:25 to play, and eventually built its lead to 30 points (75-45) with just over 10 minutes to go. The Knights led by as many as 37 points (94-57) with 2:16 on the clock.
• Bellarmine shot 59.3 percent (32-of-54) in the contest, while holding Florida Southern to just 31.8 percent (21-of-66). The Knights also went 11-of-26 from beyond the arc, and made 22-of-26 free throws. The Mocs hit just 5-of-31 from long range, but made 14-of-17 free throws.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern fell to 2-2 all-time against the Knights, and had its two-game winning streak against the Knights snapped. Saturday's contest was a rematch of the 2015 NCAA Division II national semifinal, which Florida Southern won, 79-76.
• Three different Mocs scored in double figures, led by 11 points each from Jeremiah Davis and Michael Volovic. R.J. June added 10 points off the bench, while Josh Brown scored five and dished out a team-high five assists. Kyle McWilliams scored the first points of his collegiate career on a jumper with 17:43 to play.
• Bellarmine forced 15 turnovers, which it converted into 28 points. Florida Southern's bench outscored Bellarmine's bench by a 30-16 tally. The Knights finished with a 26-22 edge in points in the paint, but the Mocs held a 15-5 edge in second-chance points.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern returns to Sunshine State Conference play at Rollins on Monday at 7 p.m. before hosting USC Aiken (Nov. 26) and Molloy (Nov. 27) over the Thanksgiving weekend.
