TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. — Nigel John scored 20 points and Southwestern College erased a double-digit second-half deficit to earn an 80-73 road win over Florida College on Saturday, Dec. 20, inside Conn Gymnasium.
The victory moves Southwestern to 8-4 on the season, while Florida College dropped to 4-11.
The opening 10 minutes featured a back-and-forth battle with neither team able to gain separation. Southwestern held a slim 27-25 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the first half before Florida College surged ahead with an 11-0 run to build a nine-point lead. The Builders weathered the run and trimmed the deficit to five by halftime, trailing 38-33 despite 14 first-half points from John.
Southwestern came out strong after the break, tying the game at 40-40, but Florida College responded with a 9-2 spurt to push the lead back to seven. The Falcons later stretched the margin to 10 with 13 minutes remaining, but Southwestern steadily chipped away. Two free throws from Evan Barber capped the rally and cut the deficit to 60-58, setting up a tense final stretch.
The Builders regained the lead at 70-68 with 3:30 left and seized control moments later on a thunderous alley-oop dunk by Zach Hidalgo. Southwestern closed the game at the free-throw line to secure the 80-73 win just before the holidays.
Barber delivered a strong second half, finishing with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the free-throw line to go with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wyatt Bell added a well-rounded performance with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Hidalgo posted 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Eli Sawyers provided solid minutes off the bench with four points, six rebounds and two steals.
Southwestern shot 46.9 percent from the field and scored 40 points in the paint, adding eight second-chance points and 11 bench points. The Builders held Florida College to 45 percent shooting and 31 percent from beyond the arc while winning the rebounding battle 36-31.
Southwestern returns to action on Dec. 31 when it hosts Spurgeon College of the National Christian College Athletic Association. The Knights enter the matchup at 10-2. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside Stewart Field House.
