MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University women's basketball team put together its best win of the season, knocking off No. 23 Florida Southern, 62-53, Wednesday.
It was the Buccaneers first win over a Top 25 opponent since beating No. 25 Rollins in the Sunshine State Conference tournament a year ago.
Three players scored in double figures for the Bucs, who held the Moccasins to 26.5 percent shooting. The win helped the Bucs (12-6, 5-4) to maintain pace in the top half of the conference standings. The top four teams will host a first round SSC Tournament game. Florida Southern (16-3, 7-3) entered the game in second place in the league.
Amra Elezovic scored 17 points on six of 12 shooting,
Irene Sanchez had 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds, and
Ines Kerin scored 12 points as the Buccaneers shot 44.4 percent from the field.
Barry had a nine-point lead at halftime after a blistering second quarter shooting. The Bucs knocked down 10 of 13 shots in the second quarter to take a seven-point lead into halftime. Sanchez found
Emily Schahczinski in the paint for a six-point lead, and Kerin hit a bucket on the next trip to extend the Bucs out to their largest lead of the half, 32-24. The Mocs were 12 of 16 from the free throw line in the first half.
Florida Southern's Flo Ward hit a 3-pointer with 7:31 to play in the third quarter to cut Barry's lead to five. Barry's
Toni Niebler converted a three-point play with 2:30 left in the quarter to extend the Bucs lead back to 10.
Ward canned another triple at the 7:43 mark of the fourth quarter to shrink the gap to six, 47-41. But Kerin answered with a jumper in the paint 1:27 later, and then canned a triple at the 4:56 mark to make it a 13-point game. Shaquita Snow hit a 3 as the Mocs drew within eight with 3:13 on the clock, but Elezovic sank a pair of free throws to push the lead back to double digits.
Florida Southern went six of 26 from the field for 23 percent in the first two quarters. Barry was 13 of 25 for 52 percent.
Elezovic provided all of the Bucs offense in the first quarter, accounting for all three field goals in a period that both teams struggled. Barry was 3 of 12, while Florida Southern shot 4 of 15 from the field.
Kim Flournoy had eight rebounds, and
Kaila Britten grabbed six, but Florida Southern outrebounded Barry, 36-32.
Barry outscored Florida Southern, 20-8, in the paint.
The Bucs will play at Lynn 2 p.m. Saturday.
