Falcons Start Season With A Win
TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - The Florida College Falcons men's basketball team defeated the Webber-International University Warriors 92-70 on Monday night in Conn Gymnasium.
The Warriors started the game out by shooting a scalding 8-for-9 from the field. They had their largest lead of the contest at 18-14 with 14:50 remaining in the first half. FC would go on a tear, forcing turnovers and turning them into transition points. In total it was a 27-7 run in a little less than ten minutes that saw a 4-point deficit become a 16-point lead. The Falcons led 46-31 at the half.
The Falcons began the second half on a 16-4 run, to take a 27-point lead with 14:32 remaining in the game after an Ethan Smith put back. Webber would eventually cut the lead to 17 late in the second half, but that is as close as they came.
FC shot a remarkable 50% from the field, 45% from three, and 77.8% from the free-throw line. They held Webber to 40% from the field, 33% from three, and 65% from the foul line. Considering the hot start, that is putting the clamps down on the opposition.
The Falcons were led in scoring by junior guard, Matt Simpson. Simpson poured in 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while also grabbing 8 rebounds. Junior guard Bryan Chong added 16 points off the bench in his first official game as a Falcon. DJ Doakes added 9 big first half points. Ladarron Cleveland, Ethan Smith, and Sam Brown all added 8 points. Senior Jalon Perry logged 7 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in 25 minutes of action, despite an off shooting night.
"Really proud of our team for getting the job done tonight," added head coach Chase Teichmann. "Webber came in and fought hard. They punched us in the mouth and we responded. Tonight was the first college game for a lot of guys. We were down a couple of key players. but we didn't make excuses. We executed and played well enough to come out with the win."
The win gives the Falcons a 1-0 record on the young season. It also marks the first career win for head coach Chase Teichmann. FC doesn't get long to rest. They'll play host to (RV) Southeastern University on Thursday night at 7:30 PM. Come support the Falcons and Lady Falcons (with a mask)!