Falcons Squander Comeback Against Dalton State

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - The Florida College Falcons lost Thursday night, 85-87 to the Dalton State University Roadrunners.

This was the Falcons first home game after a seven-game road trip spanning over five states the last three weeks. The Falcons came out uninterested, going in a 0-7 hole. They then used a 7-0 run themselves to tie the game. From that point, DSU went on a 12-0 run to take a 19-7 lead over FC.

The Roadrunner lead would get as high as 18 points with 6 minutes left in the first half. FC finished the half on an 18-7 run to trail by just 7 after the first stanza.

By the 15 minute mark of the second half, the Falcons had cut the deficit to three, on a Kent Hegarty three-pointer. Similar to the rest of the game, the Roadrunners would respond with a 13-4 run to stretch the lead back to 12 at 71-59.

The Falcons would use a 17-3 run to take a 2 point lead 6:29 remaining after an Ethan Smith three-ball. It was FC's first lead of the ball game.

Teams would trade the lead back and forth until DSU ultimately held on for victory. Ethan Smith had a chance to win it with a runner from 32 feet that fell short at the buzzer.

Randy Bell for Dalton State had a career night, scoring 35 points. The 31% three-point shooter entering the game, connected on 6-of-9 three's in the contest. Bell averaged just under 13 points per game entering tonight's matchup.

The Falcons simply made too many mental errors to come out victorious. FC committed three fouls on three-point attempts, resulting in 9-for-9 foul shooting for the Roadrunners. That, plus a crucial bucket and the foul on an inbound lob with one second remaining on the shot clock for DSU's Randy Bell proved too costly to overcome.

The loss comes at the expense of the terrific comeback the Falcons put together to take the lead late in the second half.

Jacob Roark led the Falcons in scoring once again, dropping 21 points. Ethan Smith had a career-high 18 points. He shot 5-for-11 from three-point range, also a career-high for three's made. Smith also dished out a team-high 7 assists. Stefan Nakic-Vojnovic added 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. Kerwiken Morpas chipped in a respectable 10 points and 5 rebounds on 5-for-6 shooting.

Unfortunately, the Roadrunners continued the trend of hot shooting against Florida College. They shot 44% from beyond the arc, 10% higher than their 34% team average entering the game.

The loss drops the Falcons to 12-15 and 6-13 in SSAC play. FC hosts Martin Methodist College on Saturday at 4 PM. Saturday's game will be the last game that seniors: Bryce Nickels, Zach Brock, Kent Hegarty, Jacob Roark, and Theo Desrivieres play in Conn Gymnasium. Come out and show your support for them and the rest of the team!

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