|
Friday,
December 29, 2006
Florida Southern Edges
Presbyterian Men, 67-66
LAKELAND, FLA.
– Florida Southern’s first buzzer beater of the season wasn’t quite at
the buzzer, but it was close enough. It also resulted in a win as Rob
Eldridge hit a tough jumper with 5.5 seconds to play, lifting the
Moccasins to a 67-66 win over Presbyterian (SC).
The Moccasins
(4-5) held an 11-point lead with nine minutes to play before the Blue
Hose (6-4) mounted a comeback. With the help of 3-pointers by Drew
Biggs and Bryan Bostic, and another basket by Biggs, the Blue Hose
pulled within 63-62 with 4:45 remaining. More than three-and-a-half
minutes went by before either team scored again, but Presbyterian
eventually tied the game at 63 when Martynas Versinskas hit one-of-two
free throws with 1:13 on the clock.
Braxton Williams
battled for the loose ball to give Florida Southern possession after
Versinskas missed his second free throw. After the Mocs brought the
ball down-court, Andrei Grant took a pass from Williams on the left side
of the lane, and hit a turn-around jumper that put them ahead, 65-63,
with 54 seconds to play. It was the first basket for the Moccasins in
seven minutes, and their first points in six.
The lead didn’t
last long. After a timeout by Presbyterian, Sean Dixon hit a 3-pointer
with 41 seconds to play, giving the Blue Hose a 66-65 lead.
The Mocs were
unable to score on their next possession and were forced to foul, but
Travis Sligh missed the front end of the bonus for Presbyterian. That
gave the Mocs new life and Eldridge delivered by hitting a jumper under
heavy pressure from just inside the 3-point arc with 5.5 seconds
remaining. Dixon’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the
rim for the Blue Hose, allowing the Moccasins to hold on for the win.
In the first
half, and in reality the first 30 minutes, it did not look like the Mocs
would need a late shot to win the game. Florida Southern shot 58
percent from the floor in the first half and made four-of-seven shots
from 3-point range to take a 43-30 lead at the break. The Mocs got a
big lift from Garrett Hull off the bench, as the junior hit all four of
his field goal attempts and scored nine points to help offset the
absence of Will Graham, who went to the bench after just five minutes
with two early fouls.
Graham came back
to give the Mocs eight points in the first 10 minutes of the second half
to help the Moccasins keep their lead in double digits. The Blue Hose
then begin chipping away by scoring on four straight possessions to cut
an 11-point lead to five and set the stage for the final minute.
Eldridge led the
Moccasins with 15 points on the night, going four-for-10 from the field
and seven-for-nine from the line. Grant scored 14 and also grabbed
eight rebounds, while Hull finished with a season-high 11.
Versinskas, who
had 11 points and seven rebounds, led Presbyterian, while Biggs scored
10. The Blue Hose shot 54 percent in the second half after hitting just
32 percent in the first half, and committed only eight turnovers in the
game.
Presbyterian will face #10 Montevallo
Saturday night at 6 p.m., while Florida Southern and Grand Valley State
square off at 8:00.
Box Score
Back to
Men's Basketball |
