Moccasins Subdue Sailfish in SSC Showdown

LAKELAND, Fla. – In a Sunshine State Conference clash inside the George W. Jenkins Field House, the Florida Southern College Moccasins notched its sixth consecutive victory by defeating the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 100-80. The Mocs showed their dominance in the second half extending their win streak and securing their third straight win by 20-plus-points, and its sixth straight by 10-plus-points.
 
"I thought our guys played great tonight," Florida Southern head coach Mike Donnelly stated. "We were concerned before the game, because PBA is a very good team, and we were also coming off a two-week break. We had three very good practices when we returned to work after the break, and I thought that carried over to us playing well this evening. Balanced effort offensively and another strong defensive performance. It is fun to watch."
 
Florida Southern improves to 10-3 overall, the programs' eighth season under head coach Mike Donnelly of notching 10 wins, with the only one being the shortened 2020-21 campaign (7). The Moccasins are just one of two teams to remain undefeated in SSC play, matching No. 1 Nova Southeastern (10-0, 4-0 SSC). The Mocs and Sharks meet on the hardwood on January 3.
 
The Moccasins showcased team basketball again, with six players scoring double-figures while the team had 19 total assists, paced by Dominick Denny's eight. Luke Anderson led the offensive charge with 25 points, on 10-of-14 shooting, with a 3-for-4 mark from beyond the arc and a perfect 2-for-2 night at the free throw line.
 
Florida Southern missed just two free throws all night, going 16-for-18 as a team, where Erickson Bans continued his streak, sinking both free throws on the night. Bans now stands at 33 consecutive free throws.
 
Alex Steen notched yet another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while just missing the chance to join an elite group of players to don the Mocs jersey, finishing with eight blocks ending the night two blocks shy of the program's sixth triple-double.
 
Anderson joined Steen with a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds. Joining Anderson and Steen in double-digits were Bans and Joe Moon IV with 14 while Denny closed with 12 points. Donovan Smith took advantage of his 20 minutes of action, lighting up the board with 13 points from a 4-for-5 night from beyond the arc.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic (7-4, 2-2 Sunshine State Conference) fought to the final buzzer but fell short, by 20 points, despite four players tallying double-figures. Trent McNair paced the team with a team-high 19 points, while Grant Ledford notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jamaal Walker (13) and Dan Braster (12) rounded out the players in double-digits.
 
The first half saw both teams trading baskets, with Palm Beach Atlantic holding a slight edge at 47-41 at the break. However, Florida Southern turned up the intensity in the second half, outscoring the Sailfish 53-39 to secure a comfortable lead and seal the victory.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic's largest lead was the six-point lead at the half while Florida Southern pushed out to a 24-point lead with 3:56 to play on a Dominick Denny jumper in the paint. Noah Louis would put the Mocs at the century mark (100) with 36 ticks left after Sam Walters swiped the ball and Connor Raines found Louis in the paint.  
 
Florida Southern moves to 38-7 all-time against Palm Beach Atlantic, and the 100-80-win Saturday was the 10^th game the Moccasins have eclipsed 100 points against the Sailfish.
 
Florida Southern will now focus on the first game of the new year on January 3 against the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks at 7:30 p.m. inside the George W. Jenkins Field House. NSU has gone a perfect 44-0 in league play over the past two seasons, 20-0 in 2021-22 and 2022-23 with a 4-0 start in 2023-24, and the last loss to a Sunshine State Conference team was March 8, 2020, 118-109 at Florida Southern.
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