Box Score LAKELAND, FL - Florida Southern College women's basketball struggled to score all night, and was unable to overcome a late surge by Nova Southeastern in a 53-48 loss on Saturday at Jenkins Field House.
The Moccasins (12-7, 8-3 SSC) fell for the third-straight game as the Sharks (13-7, 9-3) moved into a second-place tie with Tampa in the Sunshine State Conference standings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Both Florida Southern and Nova Southeastern were sluggish out of the gate, combining to go just 6-of-27 from the floor in the first quarter. The Moccasins led 8-6 after one quarter of play, outscoring the Sharks 7-2 over the last six minutes of the opening period.
• Neither squad fared much better in the second quarter, as the teams combined for just 23 points. The Mocs never surrendered the lead, and were ahead by as many as four points before NSU scored the final three points of the half as Florida Southern took a 19-18 lead into the locker room.
• The third quarter featured a number of early lead changes before Florida Southern was able to gain some momentum in the closing minutes, and led 38-35 after three quarters of play.
• FSC would lead by as many as five points (41-36) with 7:54 to play, but Nova Southeastern mounted an 11-3 run to grab a 47-44 lead just over four minutes remaining. The Mocs were able to get within two in the final minutes, but the Sharks hung on for their third-straight win.
• On the night, Florida Southern shot just 32.7 percent (18-of-55) including 2-of-7 from three. The Mocs also struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 10-of-17 attempts. NSU did not fare much better, connecting on just 37.0 percent (20-of-54) from the floor, including 6-of-23 from beyond the arc and 7-of-15 at the charity stripe.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern fell to 411-150 all-time at home, including 32-9 under head coach Betsy Harris. The Mocs dropped to 16-19 all-time against NSU, including 10-8 at home.
• Gianna Vastola scored nine points for the Moccasins to move to 963 for her career, which includes 399 scored as a freshman at the College of Coastal Georgia. She needs just 37 more points to hit 1,000 in her college career.
• Anissa Toumi led the Moccasins with 12 points. She also grabbed five rebounds, snagged two steals and came away with a block.
• Both teams scored 26 points in the paint and had six points off turnovers. The Moccasins finished with the edge in bench points (18-9) and fast break points (2-0).
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern heads to Saint Leo on Wednesday before returning home to face Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday.
