LAKELAND, Fla. -- Florida Southern closed the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule by posting a wild 106-90 victory against Tuskegee on Sunday.
The victory improved the fourth-ranked Moccasins to 12-0 and extended their regular season win streak in non-conference games to 17 and upped its homecourt win streak to 10 consecutive games dating to last season. The 12-0 start to the season is the ninth in school history and the first since the 2009-10 squad opened the season by winning its first 13 games.
Sunday's game was a wild affair as the two teams combined to shoot 75 free throws, including a combined 52 foul shots in the second half; 51 fouls were called in the game. Tuskegee, which fell to 3-6, shot 30 free throws in the second half; FSC shot 22.
Along with going to the free throw a total of 75 times in the game, the teams also combined to score 119 points after halftime as FSC tallied a season-high 62 points in the second half and Tuskegee scored 57. The 90 points allowed by the Mocs were the most allowed in a game this season and the most since Western Washington scored 96 in last season's Division II Elite Eight quarterfinal game.
The Mocs, who led 44-33 at the half thanks to 57 percent shooting from the field, led by as many as 21 points in the second half, until the Golden Tigers used an 8-0 run to trim a 17-point deficit to nine points at 93-84 following a free throw by Kevin May with 3:13 left in the game.
FSC responded by closing the game on a 13-7 run thanks to six points from junior forward Stephen Battle and key layup by senior guard Frank Adams to halt's TU's scoring run. Adams' basket gave the Mocs a 95-84 lead with three minutes left in the game.
Battle finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds, including scoring eight in the second half. Battle's layup with 1:47 left in the game pushed the Mocs above the century mark for the second time this season.
Five Moccasins scored in double figures for the game, led by senior guard Dominic Lane, who finished with a career-high 30 points and added seven rebounds. Lane also became the 39th FSC player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, a feat he achieved on a 3-pointer at the 9:53 mark of the first half.
No. 11 Tarleton State 86, No. 5 Western Washington 69
LAS VEGAS -- Dropping back-to-back games for the first time in three seasons, Western Washington lost to Tarleton State 86-69 on Sundayin the 2013 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic.
The Vikings (8-2) had not suffered two consecutive losses since being beaten in four in a row to end the 2010-11 season.
No.11 TSU remained unbeaten at 10-0, the best start in school history. The Texans were led by Davene Carter with a game-high 20 points. Chuck Guy added 19 points -- including 13 of 13 from the foul line -- and Emmanuel Andrews chipped in with 18.
WWU, which lost 99-91 to Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, got 17 points from Robert Harris Jr.
