Box Score SAINT LEO, FLA. –
E.J. Dambreville's double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds wasn't enough as Saint Leo jumped out early and used a 14-0 run in the second half to sink Florida Southern, 79-71, here Wednesday at the Marion Bowman Center on the Saint Leo campus. The loss, the Mocs' second in a row after stringing together 18 straight wins dating back to last season, drops the team to 1-2 while Saint Leo moves to 2-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Saint Leo scored the game's first six points before Jalyn Hinton got the Mocs on the board at the 17:07 mark.
- After a dunk by Saint Leo's Cantia Rahming, the Moccasins got three-pointers from Xavier Rhodes and Pierce Kiesler to pull Florida Southern within on, 9-8, with 15:06 to go in the period.
- The Lions answered with back-to-back baskets for a 13-11 lead.
- Keisler then drained another three, followed by a free throw by Rhodes, and a trey from E.J. Dambreville to give Florida Southern a two-point lead, 15-13, with 14:01 to go in the half.
- The two teams traded baskets before Saint Leo scored 10 unanswered points for a 9-point advantage 25-16.
- The Lions held on to their lead the rest of the first half, but three straight free throws by Dambreville pulled Florida Southern within three points, 37-34 at intermission.
Second Half
- As they did in the first half, the Lions opened the second stanza on a strong note, outscoring the Moccasins, 8-2 in the opening 1:21.
- Florida Southern pulled within one point, 49-48, on the strength of eight points by Dambreville on two three-pointers sandwiched around a field goal.
- After another dunk by Rahming, Rhodes again cut the Saint Leo lead to one with a layup at 14:12 for a 51-50 Lions advantage.
- Saint Leo then went on a 14-0 run in under four minutes to take a 65-50 led with 10:40 left.
- With the Lions up, 68-52, Hinton connected for five point while Campbell adding a free throw to cut the lead to 10 points, 68-58.
- Saint Leo maintained a double-digit lead to close out the last six minutes before Rhodes made a layup with 36 ticks remaining for the final, 79-71 score.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Florida Southern holds a 93-23 advantage in the series, including a 35-14 lead at Saint Leo, but the two schools have split their last 22 meetings.
- Dambreville's 12 rebounds was a career high for the junior while his 16 points was one shy of his career best.
- Rhodes matched Dambreville's output with a career-high 16 points, 15 coming on a 7-for-11 effort from the field. Rhodes also handed out five assists.
- Hinton added 13 points and a season-high 12 rebounds while Kiesler contributed 12 points.
- Florida Southern shot .456 from the field and made 8-of-26 three-pointer while connecting on 11-of-25 free throws. Saint Leo made .400 of its shots with 5-of-18 coming from the beyond the three-point line. The Lions also made 18-of-23 free throws.
UP NEXT
- Florida Southern is scheduled to play Saturday at Barry University in Miami Shores. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.
