Box Score LAKELAND, FL - Gianna Vastola poured in 20 points on Senior Night to help lead Florida Southern College women's basketball past Lynn, 60-51, on Saturday at Jenkins Field House.
The Moccasins (18-7, 13-3 SSC) remained in the hunt for a Sunshine State Conference regular-season title and completed the season sweep of the Knights (10-14, 4-12).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern looked as if it might be in trouble early as Lynn raced out to a seven-point lead (11-4) less than three minutes into the first quarter. The Moccasins responded with an 8-0 run to jump in front (12-11) with 3:10 to go.
• The Knights led by three (15-12) with just under a minute left in the opening period, but Vastola scored four-straight points to give the Mocs a 16-15 lead after one quarter of play, and Florida Southern would never trail again.
• The Moccasins were able to put distance between themselves and the Knights, pushing the lead to 11 points (31-20) with 2:50 to play in the half. However, Lynn closed out the half on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to three (31-28) at the break.
• Florida Southern used a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to take control of the game, limiting the Knights to just nine third-quarter points. Leading by just a single point (33-32) with 7:41 to play in the third, the Moccasins reeled off an 11-0 run to take a 12-point lead (44-32) with 4:03 on the clock.
• The Mocs would push their lead to as many points in the fourth quarter as they remained in complete control en route to their sixth-straight win.
• Florida Southern shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) and held Lynn to just 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the floor. The Moccasins finished with a 40-38 edge in rebounds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern improved to 29-14 all-time against Lynn, and picked up its seventh-straight victory over the Knights. The Moccasins also improved to 414-150 all-time in home games, including 35-9 under head coach Betsy Harris.
• Anissa Toumi and Gianna Vastola each scored 20 points on a combined 19-of-36 from the floor. Vastola also snagged 12 rebounds while Toumi collected eight. Camille Giardina added seven points and Jensen Blassage dished out a game-high four assists.
• The Mocs recognized their four seniors following the game. The group consisted of Giulia Simioni, Danielle Thomas, Gianna Vastola, and Flo Ward. Thomas has missed the majority of the season woth an injury, while Ward suffered a season ending injury in the preseason.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern wraps up the regular season with trips to Barry (Feb. 22) and Eckerd (Feb. 25). If the Florida Southern and Eckerd both win on Wednesday, the teams would play for the SSC regular-season title next Saturday.
• The SSC Tournament begins on March 1, with first-round games played on campus sites. Florida Southern's exact opponent and start time have yet to be determined, but the Mocs will play at home that day.
