LAKELAND, Fla. -
Ashley Shell led the Florida Southern College women's basketball team with 22 points and 10 rebounds to defeat Sunshine State Conference rival Saint Leo University on Wednesday evening, 67-61.
With the win, the Moccasins move to 9-6 on the year and 5-3 in SSC play while the Lions fall to 9-7 on the year and 2-6 in conference action.
It was all Florida Southern for the first three quarters of play, but the Lions gave the Mocs a scare in the final quarter as they chipped away at Southern's lead which was as much as 20 points. Despite a rough three-point shooting night, the Mocs found a way to get the job done by forcing turnovers, crashing the boards, dominating the paint, and securing 20 points at the free-throw line.
Florida Southern dominated throughout the first quarter as Saint Leo struggled offensively. Shell's eight-point quarter helped the Mocs jump out to an early lead as the Lions were only able to manage four points under the pressure of Florida Southern's defense.
In the second quarter, Saint Leo was able to gain some traction against the relentless pressure of the Mocs' defense. The Lions out-scored the Mocs in the quarter, keeping Saint Leo's top player to just two points off free throws. Florida Southern was able to maintain their lead going into the locker room, 27-21.
In the final half, the Mocs outscored the Lions 21-8 behind 11 points off the bench between
Maria Llorente and
Amari Jackson. The Mocs led 48-29 at the end of the frame.
In the final quarter, with 3:26 remaining Florida Southern had a 61-41 lead over Saint Leo. A miraculous three-point shooting bout from the Lions gave the Mocs a genuine scare in the final minutes but they, fortunately, kept the comeback attempt at bay.
"We finished; we got a win," said head coach
Megan Dzikas '12 with a sigh of relief after the game. "It's always great to get a win no matter what in this conference. I know our players are a little disappointed at how we finished the game, but I think we played really well. We're just going to continue to play better defense and continue to build on that."
They could not have gotten the win without the major contribution of Shell who put up 22 points and 10 rebounds, her third double-double of the year. She was joined in double-digit scoring by
Arielle Dabu with ten points. Llorente and Jackson added nine points apiece off the bench.
UP NEXT
The Mocs hit the road on Saturday to continue their conference play as they travel to Winter Park, Fla. to face Rollins College. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
