Reems Landreth
Three Moccasins shot in double digits as Florida Southern (6-1, 2-0 SSC) defeated Embry-Riddle (6-2, 1-2 SSC) 75-59 on Dec. 5 in Jenkins Field House.
Senior Camille Giardina (19 points), sophomore Jirah Ards (11 points) and freshman Mackenzie Steele (17 points) accounted for 47 of the Mocs’ 75 points. Steele recorded 77 percent of the bench’s total points.
This marked the first Sunshine State Conference win over the Eagles as the Mocs dropped both regular season contests last year. Florida Southern last defeated ERAU in the Sunshine State Conference Championship game on March 4, 2018 with a score of 87-68.
Embry-Riddle opened the contest with back-to-back threes to take the lead 6-0 after 37 seconds. Florida Southern responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead with 5:19 left in the quarter. The Mocs would go on to hold the lead for the remainder of the game.
Four Mocs scored as Florida Southern went on a 12-3 run over the last 3:57 to end the first quarter with a 10 point lead (21-11).
Both teams traded shots to open the second quarter of play. Steele recorded her best quarter of the game as she went 3-3 from beyond the arc to tally 9 points. Florida Southern went on a 12-5 run over the last 3:02 to head into the half with a 14 point lead (43-29).
The lead did not change much in the third quarter as both teams combined for seven missed baskets. The Mocs ended the third quarter with their lead extended to 16.
The fourth quarter saw the Mocs score 13 of the quarter’s 19 points from the free throw line. Florida Southern ended the game with a 16 point lead (75-59).
The men’s and women’s basketball teams joined together to raise money for Go 4 the Goal, an organization focused on raising money to support the fight against pediatric cancer. Both teams joined others from across the country as they wore gold shoe laces during the game.
The initiative is part of Lace up for Pediatric Cancer, which is a year-long effort by college and high school athletic teams around the nation with the goal of raising funds for Go 4 the Goal.
Florida Southern will play again on Dec. 13 against Bluefield State at 5:30 p.m. in Jenkins Field House. This will be the first time that the Moccasins have faced off against Bluefield State.
