Mocs Open Up Thanksgiving Break with Victory Over Lincoln University

LAKELAND, Fla. - Graduate Student Ashley Shell led Florida Southern women's basketball to an 83-69 win against Lincoln University (Mo.) on Tuesday evening to improve to 3-1 on the season.
 
Florida Southern pulled away from Lincoln in the third quarter and never looked back. The Moccasins outscored the Blue Tigers 22-11 in the third quarter and 46-32 in the final half. Shell led the charge for the Mocs from the first whistle to the final horn, playing 35 minutes with 22 points and eight rebounds for a game-high. 
 
Three other Mocs joined Shell in double-digit scoring, which is a true testament that this was a full team effort. Junior Maria Llorente posted 15 points and led the squad in assists with four. While Sydney Gomes and Anna Denes also finished with double-digit scores for the Mocs with 13 and 11, respectively. 
 
In the first quarter, the two teams played a very tight first half. The Blue Tigers jumped out to a lead but the Mocs quickly answered with a 6-0 run. However, LUM was able to answer with a run of their own that allowed them to possess a slight, 20-16 lead at the end of the quarter. 
 
In the second quarter, the Mocs outscored the Blue Tigers 21-17 to tie things up going into the locker room. Shell led the pursuit with seven points in the quarter while Arriyana Bracero contributed another five off the bench. The score was locked at 37-a-piece at halftime. 
 
Florida Southern burst into the second half with a massive 19-4 run over the Blue Tigers led by Llorente and Gomes. What really pushed the Mocs above LUM in the quarter was their defense, forcing an incredible 10 turnovers and scoring 13 points off turnovers while only allowing 11 points. 
 
The final quarter was more of the same for the Mocs. Shell contributed another eight points as the Mocs outscored the Blue Tigers 24-21 in the quarter to close out the night with an 83-69 victory.
 
"We fought and I was proud to get a win against a good team here in Lakeland," said interim head coach Megan Dzikas '12 after the game. "Credit to them. They're a great team, but I think we came out a little stagnant. The second half showed our resilience. At half time we came out with a little more fire and our defense created that offense for us." 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Mocs are traveling to Puerto Rico to square off against the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on November 25. The tip-off is set for 10:00 AM.
 
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