KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Barry ran into a buzzsaw.

The No. 13-ranked Buccaneers' bid for their first Sunshine State Conference Tournament title fell short Sunday in a 93-83 loss to No. 1 Florida Southern at Silver Spurs Arena.

"We had a challenge to play the No. 1-ranked team in the country," Bucs second-year coach Butch Estes said. "I thought defensively, particularly early on, they were outstanding. We wanted to control the transition, but we were not able to do that."

Barry (24-5) will await its NCAA Division II Tournament fate when the pairings are announced at 10:30 p.m. Florida Southern (30-1) will likely host the eight-team South Regional next weekend in Lakeland after winning its fourth straight SSC postseason title.

"They came out a totally different team," Barry's Savad Garner said. "They were hitting every single shot."

Florida Southern led by 23 with 15:08 left, but Barry chipped it down to 15 when Jevoni Robinson picked up a loose ball and dunked, and then scored again on the next trip down the floor following a Mocs giveaway. Juan Ferrales scored on a lay-in to bring the Bucs within 14, but FSC's Dominique Williams hit his fourth triple four possessions later to halt a 7-2 Barry run. Yunio Barrueta scored on two straight possessions, and Arie Williams sank two free throws with 6:36 remaining as Barry closed to within 12.

Barrueta grabbed an offensive rebound, passed up on a triple try and drove in for a layup as the Buccaneers cut it to 77-67 with 3:46 to go. Arie Williams hit a three with 1:02 on the clock to slice the deficit to nine. Adrian Gonzalez's putback with 47 seconds to play brought Barry within eight. But the Mocs sank seven of their final 10 free throws to prevent Barry from making a comeback.

"They've been kind of the model, and we've been chasing them," Estes said of the Mocs, who beat the Buccaneers in two of the three games this season. "We're close, but not today."

Barrueta finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds for his 13^th double-double of the season. He was nine of 13 from the field. Barrueta was one of five Bucs to reach double figures. Anders Haas and Williams each scored 12.

"We competed," Barrueta said. "They play at a high level. We struggled making shots."

The Bucs were 33 of 76 from the field for 43.4 percent. The Mocs hit 28 of 70 field goals for 40 percent.

Barry fell behind by 19 with 5:08 left on the first half clock. Williams buried a triple to bring the Buccaneers within 14, 41-27, at the 2:58 mark. Tyler Kelly's three-pointer pushed the Mocs back on top 17. Ferrales drove right down the middle of the lane and scored inside the final minute to make it a 15-point game, but Kevin Capers' three-point play with six seconds left sent Florida Southern into the break leading 47-29.

Florida Southern shot 39 percent from the field in the first half. Barry hit 36 percent of its shots. The Bucs were just one of 10 from 3-point range in the opening half. The Mocs were 4-for-17 from beyond the arc.

Capers went 9-for-16 from the floor and 10 of 14 at the free throw line for 28 points, and had nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Kelly had 14 points and four assists, and Dominique Williams scored 14 points in 18 minutes.

Garner, who finished with 10 points and five rebounds, joined Barrueta on the All-Tournament Team. Ferrales had 11 points.

"We've got to come into the national tournament with a different attitude," Garner said.

Barry is expected to qualify for its second straight NCAA Tournament – a feat that has not been accomplished in the program's history.

"I appreciate the at-large bid," Estes said. "It rewards the whole body of work. It gives teams like us a chance."

SSC All-Tournament Team
Kevin Capers, FSC (Most Valuable Player)
Yunio Barrueta, BU
Dominique Williams, FSC
Savad Garner, BU
Bubby Johnson, FSC
Stephan Battle, FSC