LAKELAND, Fla.- The Florida Southern College women's basketball team (14-11, 7-11 SSC) took a 65-58 victory over the visiting Florida Tech Panthers (8-19, 3-13 SSC) Wednesday night inside Jenkins Field House.
Amari Jackson debuted her first double-double tonight as the Mocs took a decisive win over the Panthers. She broke her career-high with 11 rebounds and scored 23 points for the Mocs, just shy of her career-high of 24 points.
The Mocs started the game strong, but the Panthers were relentless and FSC fought to regain the lead five times. The first-quarter scoring spree was ignited by two timely steals by Jackson that set the intensity for the Mocs.
The Panthers turned up the heat in the second quarter, outscoring the Mocs 13-4. Kyandra Poitier led Florida Tech in scoring with 21 points while Tai Roberts added eight of her own.
The Mocs responded quickly, capitalizing on opportunities in the paint and free throws. Jackson scored on a back-to-back jumper and layup, generating momentum for FSC.
Anna Denes had points all over the board, racking up nine rebounds, and eight points, including converting all six of her free throw opportunities.
Arielle Dabu made a statement in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of the Mocs' 20 points while collecting seven boards. With six minutes left to play, the Mocs held the Panthers to only four points. FSC swept the court with an 11-0 scoring run, taking the decisive win over the Panthers for the conference victory.
The Mocs will travel to play #16/#10 Nova Southeastern University Sharks at Rick Case Arena in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 pm.
