Box Score SAINT LEO, Fla. – Sophomore Bekki Kalaydjiev scored with .9 seconds remaining in the game as the Florida Southern College women's basketball team escaped with a 67-65 win over host Saint Leo University on Wednesday night. The Mocs led for less than six minutes in the game, in completing the series sweep of the Lions.
FSC is now 12-8 on the season and 9-3 in the Sunshine State Conference, while Saint Leo is 9-11, and 5-7 in the SSC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• 1st Quarter | Florida Southern got off to a hot start, building a 4-0 lead on baskets from junior forward Julia Jenike and sophomore guard Mackenzie Steele. The teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, with seven lead changes and two ties. Ultimately, the Mocs led 12-10 at the 3:42 mark when freshman forward Marte Moe converted a layup. From there, Saint Leo went on a 7-1 run to close the quarter with a 17-13 lead.
• 2nd Quarter | Early in the second quarter the Mocs cut the deficit to three points, as senior forward Katerina Pazzaglia-Khomenko and sophomore Ashley Shell made back-to-back layups. However, the Lions would roar right back, making the next three baskets to push the lead to ten, at 27-17, forcing a Florida Southern timeout at the 6:32 mark. Minutes later, the Mocs would use their tenacious defense to their advantage, forcing back-to-back turnovers. The result was a 6-0 run, to cut the lead to 29-23, on two makes by Jenike and one by Burke. Saint Leo would score three more points before the end of the quarter, and took a 32-23 lead into the break.
• 3rd Quarter | As the third quarter opened, the Lions quickly built a 14 point lead before the Mocs got a layup from Shell, on a well-placed bounce pass from Pazzaglia-Khomenko. FSC would finally get the lead back under ten, when freshman forward Kaja Wroblewska made a free throw. That was part of a personal 8-0 run for her, as she was able to pull the Mocs to within four, at 45-41. A free throw by junior guard Marta Aranda made it a three-point game, but a last second layup by the home team made the score 47-42, with just ten minutes to play.
• 4th Quarter | Jenike opened the final quarter by making a pair of free throws to cut the score to 47-44 for Saint Leo. The Lions lead would balloon back to 11 points midway through the period, before the Mocs went on a 6-0 run on a jumper by Steele, followed by a traditional three-point play by Shell. With 4:39 to play, the Mocs were within striking range. The Red and White would finally take the lead, as Shell grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic, and made a put-back layup while being pushed to the ground with 1:35 remaining. The ensuing free throw was good, and Southern had a tenuous 63-62 lead. After a SLU basket, Kalaydjiev made a steal at midcourt and converted a fast-break layup to again tie the score, this time at 65 apiece. The stage was set for a dramatic finish, as Southern forced a bad shot by Saint Leo. Shell grabbed the rebound, and the Mocs called timeout with 21.2 seconds remaining and the score still tied. Head Coach Betsy Harris put the ball in the hands of Kalaydjiev. Kalaydjiev beat her defender off the dribble, and put up a layup that seemed to hang on the rim for what seemed like a lifetime, before it fell through the rim with .9 seconds remaining. After a Saint Leo timeout, their desperation shot was way off the mark, and Florida Southern escaped with a 67-65, come-from-behind win.
QUOTING COACH HARRIS
• On the final play, Bekki Kalaydjiev's layup with .9 seconds remaining: "[SLU] was trapping on all ball screens, so we went with a simple 1-4 flat [formation]. We didn't have to worry about the trap, and just let Bekki take it. Players make plays, and Bekki made the play right there."
• On the play of freshman Kaja Wroblewska, who scored 12 points tonight, one shy of her career-high: "This is something that we've known that she can do since she stepped on campus, and she finally did it. But she was clutch tonight."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• In all, the lead changed ten times, with four ties. Saint Leo held a 16-point lead early in the third quarter, while Southern's largest lead was just four points.
• In the third quarter, Kaja Wroblewska went on an 8-0 run for the Mocs over a span of 1:37. She made both shots he took from the field, and converted four of five free throw attempts. For the game, she finished with 12 points, one point shy of her career best, 13 points against Flagler back in November.
• Jenike was one of three Mocs to score in double figures, with 18. Kaja Wroblewska followed with 12, while Shell added 10. Jenike also led the team in rebounding with eight, while Shell grabbed seven caroms. Kalaydjiev played all 40 minutes, resulting in eight points, four rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
• For the game, Southern shot 43.3% from the field, while Saint Leo shot 36.7% From beyond the arc, FSC shot 1-for-6, while SLU went 9-for-26
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern will returning home to host Embry-Riddle on Saturday, February 1.
