LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Southern College women's basketball team had two capture career-highs in a 78-73 overtime thriller against Saint Leo University on Wednesday evening in Sunshine State Conference action.
Junior
Marissa Jenike and sophomore
Sydney Gomes led the Moccasins (13-10, 6-10 SSC) as they each hit career-highs in the victory. Jenike went for a team-high 25 points while Gomes chipped in 17. Junior
Arielle Dabu also achieved a career-high as she brought down a team-best 14 rebounds while hitting her first double-double of the season with 11 points. Junior
Anna Denes also came down with double-digit rebounds, finishing with 11.
It was a quiet first two and half minutes of action for the Mocs and Lions until Jenike broke the silence scoring on a layup to put Florida Southern on the board first, 2-0. Saint Leo tied the game and took a three-point lead with the first 3-pointer, 7-4 with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. In the remainder of the quarter, both teams rallied with four lead changes and a tie, ending the period in favor of Saint Leo, 16-14
The Lions capitalized on their lead, going on an 11-0 run and getting out to a 13-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the opening half. Jenike broke the Lions run with a jumper followed by a
Dakota Daniello bucket and a Dabu shot from beyond the arc closing the deficit to 27-21 with under five minutes left on the clock. Saint Leo closed out the half with a 7-3 run to take a 34-23 lead into the break.
Saint Leo and Florida Southern opened the third quarter with 3-pointers, as
Domenica Zamora and Jenike hit back-to-back threes, to cut the Lions' lead to eight points. The Mocs and Lions continued to exchange baskets as Jenike got as close to a 6-point deficit but could not break Saint Leo's lead heading into the fourth quarter down, 51-43.
Florida Southern opened the fourth with an 11-0 run tying the game and earning the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 54-51. The Mocs and Lions continued exchanging leads seeing four different ties with the last tie, 66-66, sending the game into overtime.
Denes broke the tie with a made free throw to jump out on top early in overtime. Each team exchanged baskets to make it a one-point game, with
Arriyana Bracero giving FSC a three-point lead on a made jumper. Saint Leo's Olivia Agunzo hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 71 but Gomes answered back with a three of her own to start a scoring run for FSC. The Lions had one last layup on a fast break to close the deficit to just one, but the Mocs rallied to capture a 78-73 victory.
The Mocs are back in action on Saturday, February, 17 as they travel to take on Lynn University in conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
