Box Score FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Tyler Ross turned in one of the best performance of his career to help lead Florida Southern College men's basketball past Nova Southeastern, 77-74, on Saturday at NSU Arena.
The Moccasins (5-10, 3-4 SSC) picked up their fifth-straight road win over the Sharks (4-10, 1-6) and remained in a fifth-place tie in the Sunshine State Conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern fell behind 3-0 in the opening two minutes, but roared back with a quick 9-0 run to take an early six-point lead (9-3) with 15:39 to play in the first half.
• The Moccasins largely dominated the first half of play, taking their first double-digit lead (20-10) with 11:30 on the clock. FSC would lead by as many as 12 points (33-21) with just over six minutes to go, but the Sharks would end the half on a 15-6 run to cut the deficit to just three (39-36) at the half.
• Florida Southern was able to maintain its lead until NSU hit a three-pointer with 14:59 to play to take a 49-48 lead. The Sharks would not be in front for long, as Brett Hanson converted a fastbreak layup just a minute later to put the Moccasins back on top.
• Nova Southeastern was able to tie the game twice in the final four minutes, but a clutch three-pointer from Ross with 2:17 to go gave the Moccasins a 74-70 lead, and FSC was able to hold off NSU in the closing moments.
• Florida Southern shot 47.6 percent (30-of-63) from the floor while holding NSU to just 39.7 percent (23-of-58). The Mocs connected on 9-of-26 three-pointers and 8-of-16 free-throw attempts. The Sharks were able to stay in the game thanks to its 8-of-20 performance from beyond the arc and a 20-of-25 performance at the charity stripe.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern improved to 28-5 all-time against Nova Southeastern, including 10-4 when facing the Sharks on the road. The Moccasins have won five-straight over NSU in Fort Lauderdale, and have won nine of the last 10 meetings overall.
• Ross finished with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-15 from the floor. He went 6-of-8 from beyond the arc and pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds. Brett Hanson (16) and Jack Rauch (11) also scored in double figures.
• The Moccasins finished with 21 assists on 30 made shots. Jeremiah Davis dished out a game-high seven assists, while Michael Volovic and Jack Rauch each had four.
• Jarel Spellman recorded a seven blocks for the second time this season. Spellman has recorded 130 blocks in career games (2.9 bpg), good for fifth in school history. He needs just 33 more to break Christophe Humbert's school record of 162.
• Florida Southern's bench outscored NSU's 21-5, and the Moccasins finished with a 32-28 edge in the paint and a 17-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern returns home for conference matchups with Florida Tech (Jan. 11) and Eckerd (Jan. 14.) The Moccasins will play four of their next five games at home.
