LAKELAND, Fla. – In just the second game of the year, and in a tough matchup with the fifth-ranked Buffs from West Texas A&M, Florida Southern College Men's Basketball pulled off the upset with a 92-90 win inside the George W. Jenkins Field House. The Moccasins closed the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic with a 2-0 record with a massive win to kick-start the season.
With 2:49 left to play in the Sunday night matchup, Florida Southern held a seven-point advantage, 87-80, looking to put it away. Back-to-back empty possessions allowed West Texas A&M to climb back to within three, 89-86 but a pair of free throws from
Jadin Booth gave the Moccasins a five-point lead, 91-86.
The Buffs wouldn't go quietly cutting the deficit to just two points with under 20 seconds remaining.
Wes Bongiorni went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 18 seconds to make it 92-89. Down by two, 92-90 after a free throw, West Texas A&M took a last-second jumper in the paint that clanked off the rim and hit the hardwood as the buzzer sounded.
In the first half, Florida Southern rushed out to a double-digit lead, 17-4. West Texas A&M would climb back and tie things at 29 with five minutes to go. The two teams traded the lead over the final minutes of the first half before it came to an end tied at 42. The two teams would take turns with leads and runs to push the intensity of the game.
Five players for Southern went for double digits behind another stellar night for redshirt sophomore
Jadin Booth. The Omaha, Neb. native registered a 25-point game going 7-for-15 from the field including an 8-for-10 night from the free throw line. Booth added two assists and one rebound while leading the team with a game-high seven drawn fouls, to give the Mocs the edge.
Redshirt sophomore
Tray Alexander joined Booth in scoring over 20 points with 22 in 36 minutes of action. Junior
Connor Raines and redshirt senior
E.J. Dambreville added 14 points apiece while redshirt sophomore
Wes Bongiorni chipped in 11.
No. 5 West Texas A&M (0-2) saw four in double-figures with Damion Thorton leading with 23 points. Larry Wise tallied 20 while Addison Wallace (12) and Julius Brown (10) each reached the 10-plus points plateau.
Following the conclusion of the SCB Hall of Fame Classic, both Dambreville and Booth were named the the All-SCB Hall of Fame Classic Team while Booth earned MVP honors after averaging a tournament-best 26.5 points per game with 28 in the victory over Flagler Saturday night and 25 Sunday night.
Florida Southern will take a few days off before getting back into action with its first road trip to Clayton State on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in Morrow, Ga.
