Courtesy: Clark Atlanta Athletics
DAVIE, Fla. — In a hard-fought battle between the Florida Southern Mocs and the Clark Atlanta Panthers, the Panthers (25-6, 16-5 SIAC) fell short 80-72 in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016. Despite the loss, Clark Atlanta achieved a remarkable feat after finishing last season 8-20 and improving to 25-6 to finish the 2024 campaign.
Chris Martin led all scorers with a game-high 19 points, followed by Jalen Williams with 16 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting from the field, 2-4 from three-point range, and a perfect 2-2 from the foul line. Xavier Griffith added 11 points of his own to round out the Panthers in double figures.
Chris Martin and Jalen NeSmith scored the game’s first points, giving the Panthers an early 4-0 lead over the Mocs. Florida Southern responded with a 9-3 run to take a 9-7 lead over the Panthers just four minutes into the game.
Florida Southern mounted a six-point lead, but the Panthers battled back to get within two (19-17) after Jalen Williams knocked down a three at the 11:23 mark in the first half. The Panthers regained the lead after Dez’Mond Perkins and Kharye Cayne combined for five points to put CAU ahead 28-27 with six minutes to play until halftime. FSC held CAU to just seven points down the stretch to hold an eight-point advantage (43-35) at the intermission.
The Mocs opened the second half with a 10-0 run, putting the Panthers in a 14-point hole with 17:27 left to play in regulation. Undeterred, Clark Atlanta battled back to take a 61-59 lead after Williams drained his second three-pointer of the day at the 9:21 mark. FSC responded with a 6-1 run to regain the lead (65-63) less than four minutes later.
“Whenever we are faced with adversity, we never bend or fold. We’ve been through a lot this season, including games where we’re up 13 at the half or down 13 at the half. When we turn it up defensively, our high-powered offense always kicks in.” said head coach Alfred Jordan about his team erasing a 14-point deficit in the second half.
Florida Southern outscored Clark Atlanta 15-9 in the final six minutes to take down the Panthers 80-72 in the opening round of the NCAA DII South Region Tournament.
“I always like to show my team gratitude, especially my upperclassmen who unfortunately played their last game tonight, but my message to my underclassmen was to remember this feeling because we’ll be back here next year. Clark Atlanta will be here every year going forward,” said Coach Jordan.
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