Simpson Shines in Debut as Falcons Top Flames
GALLATIN, Tenn. - The Florida College Falcons opened up the season Friday night at their home away from home- Nashville, Tennessee. They defeated the Welch College Flames 103-70 in a packed house with about a 50/50 split of FC and Welch fans.
FC started a little slow, leading the game 12-7 with 14:44 remaining in the first half. They proceeded to go on a 24-2 run over the next six and a half minutes to take a 36-9 lead after a Roark three-pointer. They carried a 37 point lead into halftime, 61-24.
The second half featured a lot of minutes for everybody. The lead hung around the thirties most of the second half. The largest lead came at the 10:52 mark after an Andy Stevens three, assisted by Zach Brock.
FC shot 52.2% from the field for the contest compared to 28.7% for Welch. The high turnover trend continued for the Falcons as they handed it over 23 times to the opposition.
Freshman guard Matt Simpson led the Falcons in scoring in his first collegiate contest. Coming off the bench, he poured in 21 points on an efficient 8-11 from the field. He was followed closely by senior guard Jacob Roark who added 17 of his own. Andrew Voss tallied a double-double of 13 and 10 on a perfect 6-6 from the field in his first game as a Falcon. Junior post player Kerwiken Morpas added 10 points off the bench.
Freshman guard Ethan Smith added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and a team-high 5 assists on the night. Returning leading scorer from last season, Kent Hegarty added a quiet 6 points and 5 rebounds. Newcomer Stefan Nakic-Vojnovic added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in his first game for FC. Austin Mills put up a solid 9 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.
The Falcons fly home Saturday and will get a couple days to prepare for Tuesday's opponent, the Johnson University Suns. That game tips off at 7:30 (ET) in Conn Gymnasium. Be sure to come out and support the Falcons and Lady Falcons! Follow us on twitter for updates and information @FC_Hoops_ and @FC_Athletics_ for all things FC sports.
