FSC Women Drop #20/12 Eckerd on the Road

ST. PETERSBURG - Whitney Jacob delivered the biggest win of the season thus far for the Florida Southern College women's basketball team.

Jacob hit a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining, and Ashley Shell secured a game-clinching rebound off a missed last-second layup as the Moccasins upset No. 20/12 Eckerd 56-55 for a big Sunshine State Conference win at the McArthur Center on Saturday afternoon.

FSC moves to 7-6 overall and 5-2 in the SSC. Eckerd receives their first loss of the year moving to 9-1 overall and 5-3 in the conference. 

"I'm really proud of the girls," said head coach Betsy Harris. "We played with the focus and mental toughness that we've been waiting on for 40 minutes. We have to build on this and be consistent from here on out."

HOW IT HAPPENED 
It wasn't easy as Florida Southern (7-6, 5-2) needed every second to hand Eckerd (9-1, 5-3) its first competitive loss of the year. 

That didn't stop Eckerd from putting up a fight despite not playing a game in more than a week. The Tritons led the whole game until early in the fourth quarter when the Mocs finally nudged ahead.

First Julia Jenike cut it to just a one-point deficit, 49-48 Eckerd to open up the final quarter. Jacob tied it up at 49-49 on a free throw before Jenike gave the Mocs a 51-49 lead on a layup with 7:16 left.

Jacob finished a 6-0 run for Florida Southern with a layup of her own to push the Mocs' lead to 53-49 with 6:30 remaining. Then the points dried up for Florida Southern, but the good defense held Eckerd at bay until the final minutes. Tritons, Maya Price scored five consecutive points to give Eckerd a 55-53 lead with 2:03 left.

The next basket belonged to Jacob, who converted a 3-pointer after a defender slipped to give Florida Southern its first basket in more than six minutes.
Eckerd inbounded the ball to Price, but once again the Mocs' tough defense was enough to deny the game-winner as Shell came away with the ball as the buzzer sounded, sending the Florida Southern bench running onto the floor in celebration.

Jacob finished with 23 points and six rebounds and was joined in double figures by Jenike, who had 17 points and eight rebounds. Shell finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

The Mocs outrebounded the Tritons 35-30, which included 12 offensive boards, and forced 16 turnovers.

UP  NEXT
Florida Southern will look to keep its four-game winning streak alive when they return to Jenkins Field House for a 5:30 home contest against Saint Leo on Wednesday.