Box Score BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Southern College women's basketball team will remain in the top three of the Sunshine Conference standings, after winning at Lynn University on Wednesday night, 67-56. The Mocs have now won four consecutive games, and push their SSC record to 11-3. Southern is 14-8 overall. Lynn, meanwhile, falls to 11-11 overall, and 6-8 in the SSC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• 1st Quarter | The game did not start according to the regular script for the Mocs, as junior forward Julia Jenike picked up two quick fouls in the first 29 seconds of the game, sending her straight to the bench. Lynn took advantage of the situation, and scored the first three point of the game. Then the Mocs found their groove, scoring 11 unanswered points, which was part of a larger 17-2 run over the rest of the quarter. Sophomore Ashley Shell scored five points early in the run. Sophomore guard Bekki Kalaydjiev had her own stretch of five straight points for the Mocs, with senior forward Katerina Pazzaglia-Khomenko scoring the final four points of the quarter. The Mocs defense was quick and tenacious in the first quarter, forcing 10 turnovers, while holding Lynn to just 18.2% shooting, as FSC led 17-5 after the first ten minutes.
• 2nd Quarter | The second quarter was almost a reversal of the first, as the Fighting Knights got right back into the game. Lynn opened the quarter on an 8-0 run, making the score 17-13 at the 6:49 mark. However, a 6-2 run for the Mocs to end the quarter kept the Red and White on top, 27-19 at the half.
• 3rd Quarter | Southern would grow the lead to 11 points just 1:29 into the third quarter, as Shell hit a jumper inside the lane. Lynn was able to trim the lead down to seven points with 6:29 to play, at 34-27. From there, the Mocs offense took over. Pazzaglia-Khomenko made a layup, followed by a traditional three-point play from sophomore guard Mackenzie Steele. Steele then stole the ball on the ensuing Lynn possession, and drained a three-pointer to push the lead to 15 points, at 42-27. But the Mocs were not done. Freshman forward Marte Moe made a free throw to give the Mocs their largest lead of the game, 16 points. The Mocs would eventually lead 48-35 after the third quarter.
• 4th Quarter | The Mocs would remain in charge of the game, with Jenike draining a three-pointer at 7:16, pushing the lead back to 15 points. Lynn would go on an 8-2 run, en route to cutting the lead to just seven points. But Lynn would get no closer than seven. Kalaydjiev would convert six straight free throws for the Mocs, for the 67-56 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Defense won this game for Florida Southern, as the Mocs forced 22 Lynn turnovers on the night. Those extra possessions for Southern directly netted 27 points. Jenike and Shell each had five steals to lead the way.
• For the game, the Fighting Knights out-rebounded the Mocs, 34-24. Pazzaglia-Khomenko was the leading rebounder for FSC, as she grabbed eight caroms.
• Kalaydjiev led the offense tonight, recording a career-high 16 points, making five of her ten shots from the floor. For the game, Southern had four players in double figures scoring, including Steele with 15, and Jenike and Pazzaglia-Khomenko with 12 apiece.
• Jenike, who entered the game as the third leading scorer in the SSC, scored 12 points tonight, just under her season average of 15.5 points per game. However, she has now recorded 817 in her college career, including her time at Florida Atlantic.
UP NEXT
Southern returns the friendly confines of the Jenkins Field House for games against Florida Tech (Feb. 8) and Rollins (Feb. 12).
