WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Florida Southern College women's basketball team traveled to take on Palm Beach Atlantic in another Sunshine State Conference matchup. The Mocs defeated the Sailfish 80-63 as
Mackenzie Steele put up a season-high 25 points and knocked down seven threes to help secure a third consecutive victory for FSC.
"It was great to see Mack (
Mackenzie Steele) have a good shooting game," said head coach
Betsy Harris. "She has worked hard to get her shot back on track. I am pleased to see the team put back-to-back games together."
The three-point line was the difference-maker for the Mocs as they shot an outstanding 55-percent from beyond the arc. From three-point territory, Steele went 7-for-9,
Whitney Jacob went 3-for-5, and
Julia Jenike knocked down three of her own. The trio combined for 62 points. Jacob also contributed seven rebounds while Jenike dished out five assists.
FSC improves to 11-8 overall and 9-4 in SSC play, while PBA falls to 5-15 on the season and 2-11 in conference play.
How it Happened
Florida Southern got off to a slightly slow start as they were in an 11-4 hole halfway through the first quarter. However, the Mocs quickly began to heat up from beyond the three-point line. With just under five minutes remaining in the quarter, J. Jenike drained a deep three. In the next play, Jacob stepped up to the arc and knocked one down herself. Later
Domenica Zamora tied the game at 19-19 at the 2:32 mark in the first quarter followed by
Marissa Jenike's three as the quarter closed out. The Sailfish maintained a slight 26-22 lead at the end of the first.
The momentum rolled right into the second quarter as the Mocs put up 17 points. The Sailfish answered with a mere six points throughout the entire quarter, thanks to a strong defensive effort from Florida Southern. Jacob opened the quarter with a very deep two followed by Steele hitting another three early in the quarter to begin the offensive run for FSC. Steele hit two more shots from downtown in the quarter to lead the offensive charge. The Mocs ended the quarter with a 39-32 lead.
Both teams came out hot to open the second half, but even an 18-point quarter for the Sailfish was not enough to outscore the Moccasins, who posted 22 points in the quarter. With less than a minute left in the quarter, Jacob hit two consecutive threes, to extend the Mocs lead and finish the quarter 61-50.
In the final quarter, FSC continued to build upon their lead as they edged the Sailfish 19-13. Steele hit three more shots from downtown to cap off an incredible game for the redshirt junior and secure another win for Florida Southern.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Steele hit a season-high in points with 25, just two shy of her career-high of 27 that she hit in February of 2021 against Florida Tech.
- Jacob and J. Jenike finished in double-digits for Florida Southern as Jacob contributed 20 points, followed by J. Jenike with 17.
- As a team the Mocs hit 55.6-percent from beyond the arc going 15-for-27.
- Sara Wohlgemuth had a perfect day from the free-throw line going 6-for-6.
- Defensively, FSC was led by freshman Madlena Gerke with six rebounds, four boards coming from the offensive end.
Up Next
Florida Southern continues their road streak as they travel to Winter Park this Wednesday, Feb. 2 to take on Rollins with a 5:30 p.m. tip.
