LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College men's basketball team held off a furious rally from the Rollins College Tars on Tuesday night, winning in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Championships, 88-82.
The Mocs, who were selected as the fourth seed in a blind draw, will next face top-seeded Palm Beach Atlantic, who drew a bye in the opening round.
Florida Southern has now won three straight games, in improving to 6-4 on the year, while Rollins ends their season at 0-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Half
- The Mocs won the opening tip, and scored on the first possession of the game, as grad student Jacob Schner nailed a three pointer. He was followed by junior E.J. Dambreville, whose own three made the score 6-0, Mocs.
- Minutes later, Dambreville made his second three pointer of the game, as the Mocs led 11-4, with 17:15 to play.
- With Southern ahead 17-11, the home team went on a 12-3 run, which included ten straight points for senior Jalyn Hinton. The two-time defending SSC Defensive Player of the Week finished the game with a career-high 33 points.
- Rollins would get back into the game, cutting the lead to as few as four points, but each Rollins run was followed by a Florida Southern run.
- Southern would take a 50-42 lead into halftime.
- Hinton had 17 points in the first half, with junior Brandon Carroll chipping in 14. Dambreville had nine points and seven rebounds after 20 minutes of action.
2nd Half
- The Mocs quickly built the lead back to double digits, taking a 57-44 lead on a Hinton layup at the 16:41 mark.
- Minutes later, a free throw from junior Xavier Rhodes pushed the lead to 16 points, 64-48.
- A Rollins run brought the score to 67-63, before the Mocs responded with their own run.
- With 8:35 remaining in regulation, the lead stood at eight points for the Mocs, 71-63, courtesy of a Hinton dunk.
- Hutton Yenor of Rollins scored seven straight points to get the Tars as close as they would ever get, 71-70. Yenor led his team with 32 points.
- With 7:15 was showing on the clock, the Mocs would again respond, with baskets from Dambreville, Carroll, and Hinton, and the lead was safe at 77-70.
- Southern would lead by as many as ten down the stretch, before pulling out the victory, 88-82.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Hinton's 33 points tonight tied his career high, set on March 3, 2020, against Lynn.
- Hinton added 11 rebounds and five more blocked shots tonight, as he leads all active Division II student-athletes in that category.
- Carroll finished with 21 points, three rebounds, and four steals.
- Dambreville posted 17 points and 15 rebounds, his seventh double-double in eight games played. Tonight, all 15 rebounds were on the defensive end.
- Rhodes added 11 points and a career-high 13 assists, the first double-double of his career.
- Schner produced a pair of three pointers and three rebounds.
- DeAndre Campbell was the only other Moc to see action tonight, producing two assists and one rebound.
- For the game, the Mocs shot 53.7% from the field against a tough Rollins College zone. Rollins shot 35.8%.
- One reason the Tars stayed in the game was their ability to get to the free throw line. Rollins was a perfect 22-for-22 from the stripe.
UP NEXT
With the win, the Mocs advance to the Semifinals of the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Championships, and will travel south to face #1 Palm Beach Atlantic, who drew a first round bye. The second Semifinal will feature #3 Florida Tech, who defeated Tampa in double overtime, at #2 Saint Leo, who handled Barry.
