LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Southern College women's basketball team opened up action in George W. Jenkins Field House on Tuesday afternoon, taking on the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras for its home opener of the 2023-24 season.
The Moccasins (3-0) had four double-digit scorers and were led by junior guard
Marissa Jenike with 20 points. Behind Jenike were junior forward
Anna Denes with 12, junior guard
Arielle Dabu, and sophomore forward
Amari Jackson with 11 points apiece.
Denes and Jenike got the scoring started for the Mocs with back-to-back 3-pointers a minute and a half into the game, for a 6-0 lead. Jenike and Denes continued to convert on their attempts, getting an 11-0 lead before Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras could put anything on the board.
The Roosters hit a pull-up jumper to make it 11-2, but Jenike answered back with a jumper of her own and her second and third 3-pointers for an 11-point lead with 4:13 remaining.
Florida Southern got as much as a 13-point lead as Jenike continued to go on a run, scoring 13 points in the first quarter. The Mocs would end the quarter with an eight-point advantage, 23-15.
In the second quarter, FSC opened up with a 7-0 run as junior guard
Arriyana Bracero and junior forward
Sarah Lange both scored on a layup, which was followed by a free throw from Dabu and another Lange layup.
Rio Piedras got as close as six, but the Mocs offense picked up, ending the quarter with a 12-point advantage after sophomore guard
Sydney Gomes converted on a layup for a 40-28 lead.
Out of halftime, the Roosters acted first with a shot beyond the arch at 9:18. Jackson and Denes quickly turned the pressure back on Rio Piedras' defense, getting an offensive board, a block on the defensive end, and both hitting jumpers to make it 44-31 at 8:17.
Florida Southern's offense never let up, going on a 14-8 run. Sophomore
Reagan White scored on a 3-pointer to earn the biggest lead of the quarter, putting the Mocs up 22 with 3:12 remaining in the quarter. The Roosters cut the Mocs lead down to 15, trailing 61-46, but a foul would send freshman forward
Lily Pereira to the line and end the quarter 63-46 as Pereira sank both shots.
In the final quarter, Jackson opened up the Mocs scoring on a layup at 8:57. With 6:28 remaining in regulation and a 21-point lead, grad student
Domenica Zamora broke her silence by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in under a minute apart to give FSC a 27-point lead, 77-50, with just 5:41 remaining.
The Mocs continued to fight to keep a 24-point lead, as freshman
Dakota Daniello and
Bre'Asia Washington both scored a jumper to end the scoring drought for FSC and the Mocs finished with an 83-62 victory in the home opener.
FSC shot 56.25% in the final quarter going 9-for-16 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arch. From the three, the Mocs opened up the first quarter hitting five threes, going 5-for-11. On the defensive end, Dabu came down with eight boards, followed by Jackson with seven and Lange with five.
Florida Southern hits the road to take on Winston Salem and Belmont Abbey in the Rollins Thanksgiving Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Mocs will open up with Winston Salem on Nov. 24 and follow with Belmont Abbey on Nov. 25. The games are both scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. tip off.
