Box Score LAKELAND, FL - Gianna Vastola posted her first double-double of the season, and Florida Southern College women's basketball used an explosive second quarter to power past visiting Florida Tech, 87-73, on Wednesday at Jenkins Field House.
The Moccasins (11-4, 7-1 SSC) picked up their third-straight Sunshine State Conference victory and snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Panthers (7-7, 2-5).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern struggled to find its offensive rhythm early, falling behind by four points (10-6) in the first six minutes of the opening quarter. The Mocs missed several easy layups and turned the ball over three times in the opening six minutes.
• The tide would turn late in the opening period, when back-to-back buckets by Vastola and Theresa Mac-Dangosu gave Florida Southern a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
• The momentum would carry over into the second quarter, when Florida Southern scored 29 points and shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor. Leading 21-18 with seven minutes to play in the half, Camille Giardina hit a three-pointer to jumpstart a 10-3 run that gave FSC its first double-digit lead of the day (31-21).
• Florida Southern would eventually extend the lead to as many as 14 points on two occasions in the final two minutes of the half, and took a 46-32 lead into halftime.
• FSC's lead would balloon to as many as 24 points (62-38) midway through the third quarter, and Florida Tech would get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way as the Moccasins picked up their third-straight win.
• The Mocs shot 49.2 percent (31-of-63) from the floor, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. Florida Southern made 20-of-22 free-throw attempts, including all 10 in the second half.
• Florida Tech shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56), but was just 3-of-12 from long range. The Panthers made 18-of-25 free throws. Florida Southern finished with a 42-25 edge on rebounds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern improved to 7-2 at home this season. The Moccasins are 410-148 all-time in home games, including a 31-7 mark under head coach Betsy Harris.
• The Mocs also moved to 39-27 all-time against Florida Tech, including 22-11 at home. It was Florida Southern's first win over FIT since a 60-53 win on Feb 23, 2013.
• Vastola finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. She was 10-of-20 from the floor, made both of her free-throw attempts, and set the tone early with a block on Florida Tech's first shot attempt of the game.
• Giardina scored 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting. She was 2-of-3 from three-point range, improving her season three-point field goal percentage to 52.5 percent, good for second nationally.
• Jensen Blassage added 14 points and six rebounds, while Elsa Landberg dished out a game-high six assists and scored nine points.
• The Moccasins have shot 90.0 percent or better at the free-throw line in four of their last five games. During that stretch, Florida Southern has made 76-of-82 (92.7 percent) of its shots from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern wraps up this week's action with a home game against Eckerd at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Mocs sit just behind the Tritons in the SSC standings, and Saturday's winner will have sole possession of first place in the conference.
• The Moccasins play at Embry-Riddle on January 18, and are off on Saturday, Jan. 21.
