LAKELAND, Fla. – Despite a season-high shooting percentage and a game-high 27 points from sophomore Jacksen Greco, the Anderson men's basketball team opened a two-game nonconference road swing at 18th-ranked Florida Southern's Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic with a 112-91 setback to the Moccasins, Friday night at Jenkins Field House.
"I'm incredibly proud of the way our guys competed tonight," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "Florida Southern has all the makings of a national tournament team. They have two of the best guards we've played this year and coach Donnelly has them playing so well together. It's easy to see why they're ranked 18th in the country. We have to clean up the turnovers, and we will. We can fix decision-making and ball security. Thankful I get to coach a group that never gives up. We can do a whole lot with that mentality. Excited to get back at it tomorrow."
Anderson (2-4) had its win streak snapped at two, while Florida Southern improved to 5-0 on the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Greco, who poured in 18 points inside the opening 16 minutes of the contest, finished the first half by going 7-for-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range. The 6-foot-3 guard also pulled down five rebounds. Sophomore guard Myles Jenkins added 15 points on 7-of-9 accuracy from the free throw line and dished out two assists, with junior guard Garrett Denbow notching 13 points. Freshman guard Luke Denbow also tallied 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from inside the arc and had a pair of assists on the night.
Junior forward Mack Burgett posted nine points of 4-of-6 shooting, while sharing team-high rebounding honors with six boards. The Richmond, Va., native also handed out a team-high four assists, swiped three steals and blocked a pair of shots. Senior guard Mason Carver was 3-of-4 from the field and finished with seven points. He recorded a season-high six rebounds and also dished out three assists.
Redshirt sophomore Jadin Booth paced the Moccasins with 26 points, while senior guard E.J. Dambreville chipped in 19 points. Luke Anderson talled 16 and Dominick Denny came off the bench to score 11 for Florida Southern.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Florida Southern scored the first five points of the game and opened up an early 8–3 lead, but with Greco scoring AU's first seven points, the Trojans were within 11–7 with nearly four minutes gone in the first half, and grabbed their first lead on back-to-back baskets, first on a short jumper by Jenkins, then on Garrett Denbow's first trey of the game at the 15:50 mark.
Following a deuce by Florida Southern, another 3-pointer by Greco gave AU it's final lead of the contest (15–13), with 15:33 on the clock.
The Moccasins answered with an 18–6 scoring run over the next four minutes to open up a double digit,31–21, advantage midway through the first half. The Trojans stayed within sight of the Moccasins by shooting nearly 58% from the field through the first 13 minutes. However, Florida Southern countered by shooting better than 56% from the field and connected on nine 3-pointers in the opening half. FSC opened up its largest lead of the half, at 55–39, with less than two minutes left in the frame and held a 57-42 advantage at the break.
Second Half
The Trojans were shooting better than 57 percent from the field at the first media break of the second frame, but so was Florida Southern and the Trojans were unable to make any headway, with the deficit hovering between 14 and 16 points until they used a 6–0 spurt over a 70-second span to whittle the deficit to a dozen, at 79–67.
But Florida Southern steadily rebuilt its lead and claimed a 23-point advantage late in the contest.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
AU drained a season-high 34 field goals and posted a season-best 51.5% shooting percentage from the field.
NOTABLES
• Friday night's matchup marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
• The Trojans saw four players reach double figures for the third time this season.
• The Trojans are back in the Sunshine State for the first time since Flagler hosted Anderson, Lander and Southern Wesleyan in a Regional Crossover Tournament during the 2019 season.
• The 2015-16 season marked the first time since at least the 2009-10 season that the Trojans visited the state of Florida.
• AU outscored the Moccasins, 46-38, in the paint.
• FSC won the battle of the boards, 41-34, and pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.
• The Moccasins turned 19 Trojan turnovers into 28 points.
• The Trojans have connected on double-digit 3-pointers in five straight games.
• The Trojans have dished out double-figure assists in five consecutive games.
• The Trojans have committed double-figure turnovers in six straight games.
• Opponents have shot at least 50 percent from the field against the Trojans in five consecutive games.
• Luke Denbow has reached double-figure scoring in six straight games.
• Garrett Denbow has reached double-figure scoring in five straight games.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will wrap up the road trip by squaring off against Saint Leo, which lost, 72-70, to Wisconsin-Parkside earlier on Friday.
