MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The Buccaneers couldn't hold a halftime lead on Saturday afternoon, dropping their second conference game of the season to Florida Southern (11-3, 5-2 SSC) 65-79 at the Health & Sports Center. Barry, who came in to the game averaging 19.5 assists-per-game - good for second in the Sunshine State Conference, was held to nine against the Mocs.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: #22/RV Florida Southern 79, #22 Barry 65
Records: Barry 10-4, 5-2 SSC, Florida Southern 11-3, 5-2 SSC
All-Time Series: Florida Southern leads 21-51

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"I just thought we were out of sync all night, " Bucs head coach Butch Estes said. "You have to give them credit, they played well. I thought we played good defensively, but we couldn't get anything going offensively. We held Lawton to four points at the half and he finished with 25. He's probably one of the best players in our league," Estes said.

There was an eye-catching discrepancy in free throw attempts, with Florida Southern taking 31 to Barry's eight. "They've done that all year long," Estes added. "They drive the ball quite well. We don't drive it quite as well as they do, that's why they got to the free throw line that much more. We were behind down-the-stretch as well, so we had to foul."

Leandro Allende finished with 10 points against the Mocs and had success getting to the basket with ease. "He's really coming along," Estes stated. "He's a very smart player. He's great to work with and has a ton of ability. Usually we put him in there for his defense, but tonight he had a big spark for us offensively."

SUMMARY:

• Daniel Mortensen led Barry with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three to a 36-34 lead over the Mocs at the half. The Buccaneers went into the locker room shooting 57 percent, while holding the Mocs to 46.7 percent. 
• Jonathan Lawton scored Florida Southern's first seven points to open the second half. The Mocs would go on a 10-4 run to build a nine point lead with 11:49 on the clock, forcing Estes to call timeout. The Mocs never looked back.
• Florida Southern outscored Barry 45-29 in the second half despite shooting a bleak 39 percent from the field. 

NOTEWORTHY:

• Barry tied a season-low nine assists against the Mocs. 
• In his last four games, Allende is averaging 8.5 points-per-game on 66 percent shooting from the field. 
• With his five made three-pointers, Mortensen now has 53 on the season. That marks the most for any player in the SSC. 

ON THE HORIZON:

The Bucs return home on Wednesday against Palm Beach Atlantic (6-9, 2-5 SSC) in The Shores. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.