LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College's women's basketball started its home slate with a matchup against Kentucky Wesleyan with their adrenaline high as the Mocs took the Panthers into overtime. The second half belonged to the Mocs, but overtime went to KWC as FSC fell 77-72 in overtime.
"I'm not surprised by anything," said head coach
Betsy Harris. "I've always had good free throw shooting teams and we struggled today. We are normally good at handling the ball but we have been allowing other teams to dictate what we do. They push us out at the three-point line, that is when we have to attack, we have to attack them even when they are being aggressive on us. We just have to start dictating the game, our freshmen are really good but we got into foul trouble. We have to get mentally tough."
Florida Southern falls to 1-3 overall and stays 0-1 in the Sunshine State; while Kentucky Wesleyan improves to 3-2 on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Quarter
- Panthers score first with a shot beyond the arc and hit one of their free throws to make it an early 4-0 lead before Sara Wohlgemuth shot a jumper to put the Mocs within two of KWC.
- Mackenzie Steele hit a layup with an assist from Arielle Dabu after Dabu got the rebound as FSC trails 7-4 at the 7:21 mark.
- After almost a full two minutes of play with nothing falling for either team, Marte Moe hits a jumper as Steele earns the assist to make it 7-6, FSC trailing by one.
- Julia Jenike's first game back and sinks a 3-pointer to tie the game at nine-all with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter.
- Immediately off a media timeout, Paula Real takes her shot-making two to tie the game again at 11-11.
- FSC tries to rally to get ahead but the Panthers take back their lead 15-11 before Moe blocks a shot.
- Madlena Gerke enters off the bench hot, hitting back-to-back layups followed by an and-one to give the Mocs the lead for the first time of the game with a 16-15 lead.
- A turnover from the Mocs allowed the Panthers to take their lead back to end the first quarter with a one-point lead of 17-16.
2nd Quarter
- Kentucky Wesleyan scored early and often to increase their lead to 25-16 before the Mocs could get anything falling in the second quarter
- Wohlgemuth finally put FSC on the board after getting fouled, she went to the line hitting both free throws to make it 25-18.
- The ball finally started to fall for Whitney Jacob hitting a jumper to cut the Panthers led down to seven.
- Things continued to fall for Jacobs hitting a 3-pointer followed by a jumper to make it 31-25 before Steele hitting a layup to make it a 31-27 deficit going into halftime.
3rd Quarter
- With a quick steal from Wohlgemuth, Steele hits a jumper followed by a fast break layup from Julia Jenike to tie the game at 31-all.
- Jacob would take the lead for the Mocs at 35-33 with a jumper before the Panthers tied it up again.
- Jacob gets fouled under the net sending her to the lie for two, the transfer made both shots giving the lead back to the Mocs 37-33.
- Wohlgemuth played an extremely aggressive game taking a charge to set up Jenike assisting Jacob to increase FSC's lead to four.
- Julia Jenike found an open Dabu with 3:10 remaining to increase the lead for the Mocs to 41-38 off a layup.
- A Panther foul sent Julie Jenike to the line as the senior graduate went 1-2 to make it 42-38 Florida Southern.
- Dabu scores two off a jumper; before Julia Jenike goes to the line for two again making both to lead the Mocs 46-39 with 31-seconds remaining.
- Less than 10 seconds remaining in the half Gerke takes it to the opposite end to finish the quarter with a 48-41 lead hitting a layup.
4th Quarter
- KWC scores from two free throws, but Julia Jenike continues to break away hitting her second shot beyond the arc to make it 51-45 with under seven minutes in regulation.
- A big run from the Panthers cut the lead from the Mocs and earn the go-ahead with a 55-51 score at the 3:52 mark.
- A quick foul off a Mocs timeout takes Jacobs to the line hitting both shots and cutting Kentucky Wesleyans lead in half
- Jacob tied the game 55-all with an assist from Real.
- Julia Jenike hit her third shot beyond the arc to make it 58-57 with 2.23 remaining.
- Real finds a wide-open Jacob to make it 60-57; before the Panters tie it up at 60 after a foul.
- Jacob is sent to the line; making both her shots to take the lead back 62-60 under 1:30 to play.
- With 17.7 seconds remaining with the game tied between the Mocs and Panthers at 62 with the Panthers having the ball until Real earns the steal giving the Mocs the ball with 15.6 remaining and eventually sending it into overtime.
Overtime
- The Panthers took the reigns to start overtime scoring off two free throw shots to make it 68-62.
- Wohlgemuth was fouled taking her to line cutting KWC lead to 68-64 with under three minutes remaining.
- Dabu gets fouled under the net sending the freshman to the line hitting both her shots to cut the Panther's lead down to five making it 70-66 with 1:03 left.
- Kentucky Wesleyan is up 74-66 with 27.1 seconds left Wohlgemuth goes 2-2 from the line to make it 74-68.
- Maddy Morales would come in to shoot two hitting both to make it 75-70 with time dwindling down with just under 12 seconds remaining.
- Wohlgemuth hits a layup after earning the steal to make it a one-shot game, but it was not enough to turn the game back around for the Mocs falling in overtime 77-72.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- In the first half, the Mocs tied the game twice with just as many lead changes.
- FSC went 11-28 from the field; while KWC went 11-29 in the first half.
- Jacob led in the first half with seven points; followed by Gerke with five.
- Defensively, Dabu is supporting Mocs with three total rebounds after two quarters.
- Jacob led the way with 23 points; going 8-for-15 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
- Julia Jenike and Wohlgemuth also finished scoring in double-digits as Jenike's first game back she goes 3-for-6 from beyond the arc tallying 14 total points.
- Wohlgemuth also had a perfect day from the line shooting 6-of-6 and hitting 3-of-8 from the field.
- Florida Southern forced 18 turnovers and scored 20 points off of its opponents' miscues.
- The Mocs finished with 27 offensive rebounds, nearly half of their 41 total boards.
- Florida Southern shot 42.0 percent from the field moving up from the 32.9 percent the Mocs shot last game.
UP NEXT
Florida Southern continues action in the Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic as they play
host to No.8 Gannon University on Saturday afternoon. Tip off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Jenkins Field House.
