ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida Southern College men's basketball (14-5, 6-3 Sunshine State) fell to Eckerd College (10-6, 4-5 Sunshine State) in a tough second half, losing 89-81 on Saturday night at the McArthur Center.
"We battled, but we just did not play well enough to win today, especially against a good team on their home court," said head coach
Mike Donnelly. "We did a poor job taking care of the ball and didn't capitalize on enough opportunities in key situations in the second half. We have to regroup and be ready to play Wednesday night at Tampa."
Florida Southern initiated play with a defensive rebound by
Amare Miller, setting the stage for an early layup by
Charlie Dalton. The team maintained steady pressure, with
Jasir Tremble securing a steal and
Brady Corso adding to the score with a successful free throw, keeping the teams tied at 6-6.Â
Midway through the half, Florida Southern found momentum with
Erickson Bans and
Spencer Schomers contributing to a brief lead with a 3-pointer. However, Eckerd countered with a series of successful inside shots, briefly regaining the advantage. Tremble responded with a key 3-pointer, keeping the teams neck and neck.Â
As the half approached its close, Dalton's offensive rebounds and baskets helped keep Florida Southern close to Eckerd. Despite a late 3-pointer by Eckerd, Dalton's layup in the final seconds ensured Florida Southern ended the half trailing narrowly, 44-42.
The second half began with Eckerd extending their lead early, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Miquel Llompart at 17:39, pushing the score to 49–42. The Mocs responded with scores from Schomers and Elijah
Walsh, narrowing the gap to 51–48.Â
Midway through the half, Tremble hit a crucial 3-pointer at 12:40, giving the Mocs a brief lead at 53–51. However, Eckerd quickly reclaimed the lead, and a series of free throws and layups extended their advantage to 64–59.Â
In the closing minutes, Florida Southern managed to cut the deficit with consistent scoring from Corso and Miller. Despite their efforts, Eckerd maintained control with free-throw shooting. The game concluded with Florida Southern losing 89–81.
Tremble scored 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and recorded two steals. Dalton added 16 points and collected nine rebounds. Miller finished with eight rebounds and recorded two blocks.
Khalil Ross contributed with three blocks and four successful free throws.
In their next game, the Moccasins will face Tampa on Wednesday, Jan. 21. The matchup will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center in Tampa, Florida.
