Lakeland, FL – Southern Wesleyan dropped their non-conference game against Florida Southern on Friday afternoon in a 70-49 final score.
The Warriors shot 36.5% from the field in the loss. Both Savanna Nicholson (11 points) and Makayla Raines (10 points) had double digits in the game. Of the five assists, Emily Gamon picked up five.
Southern Wesleyan collected 34 rebounds against the Mocs with DeYana Hayes having nine. Kyra Price had five rebounds to her name and both Esther Cole and Faith Yelton each accumulated four rebounds. Emily Gamon led the team in steals with two.
Game Vitals
Final: Florida Southern 70, Southern Wesleyan 49
Records: Southern Wesleyan (2-9 / CC 1-4) Florida Southern (8-1 / Sunshine State 3-0)
How It Happened
The Mocs were first on the board as Gianna Vos put up an early basket after Florida Southern won the opening jump ball. Southern Wesleyan tied the game up seconds later on a layup out of the hands of Peyton Looky. The tie was short lived as a layup by Sydney Gomes and then a three pointer by Lily Pereira allowed the Mocs to take a 7-2 point lead. Makayla Raines laid the ball up into the basket, but Florida Southern would not relent their attacks as several layups throughout the lineup allowed them to extend their lead to 15-4. Peyton Looky collected a pass from Danielle Earley and knocked down a three pointer to stop the Mocs run. Sydney Gomes continued to challenge the Warriors as she got the ball into the net several more times before the end of the quarter.
Florida Southern continued their attacks on the basket early in the second quarter as Monica Balistrere collected a pass from Nia Blocton and got in a mid-range jump shot. Kyra Price countered with a turn around jump shot from in the paint. Back-to-back baskets by Carlota Gomez Alonso and Sydney Gomes allowed the Mocs to extend their lead to nineteen. With just over six minutes left in the first half, Emily Gamon got the ball over to Savanna Nicholson. Nicholson took a step back and sunk her first three pointer of the game. Gamon stole the ball away from Gianna Vos and quickly took the ball all the way down the court and laid it up into the basket. Despite some last second points by Nicholson and Gamon, the Mocs led 37-22 going into the locker room.
Southern Wesleyan kicked off the third quarter with a layup by Savanna Nicholson. Kyra Price hit a mid range jump shot to put the Warriors within eleven points of the Mocs. The Warriors continued to press as Nicholson knocked down another three pointer to allow the Warriors to trail the Mocs 37-29. Florida Southern stopped the Warriors attacks as Sydney Gomes tipped the ball into the basket off a rebound. Nia Blocton and Gomes got in a couple more baskets before Makayla Raines took the ball up to the rim for a layup. Emily Gamon hit back-to-back jump shots.
A three pointer out of the hands of Sydney Gomes kicked off the final quarter of the game and extended the Mocs lead to 58-37. For three minutes, the Warriors and Mocs kept each other off the board. Lily Randgaard laid the ball up to thwart the stalemate. Florida Southern continued their attacks with baskets by Nia Blocton and Gianna Vos. Makayla Raines hit a mid-range jump shot after the Mocs turned the ball over on a shot clock violation. Southern Wesleyan challenged as DeYana Hayes and Danielle Earley put up back-to-back layups. Despite a final second three pointer out of the hands of Maris Kate Payseur, the Warriors fell to the Mocs in a 70-49 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will continue in the Mocs Christmas Classic tomorrow as they take on Eckerd College at noon. They will then take a break for the Holidays before returning to take in a couple of exhibition games against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (December 30) and Wofford College (January 1). The Warriors will resume Conference Carolinas action on January 3 as they travel down the road to Due West, SC to take on the Erskine Flying Fleet at 2pm.
