Falcons Drop Season Opener in Bahamas
The Florida College Falcons men's basketball team was defeated Friday night in a 106-97 shootout versus the University of the Bahamas Mingoes. The game was packed and wild. Kent Hegarty led the Falcons in scoring with 28 points. Austin Mills followed behind with 25 points of his own.
The game was played by FIBA rules as it is an international game on the Bahamas home court. The first quarter score was 25-20, Mingoes lead. The second quarter was one to forget for Falcons fans. After three banked three's for UB, and some questionable defense by FC, they lost the quarter 37-20, trailing by 22 at the half.
The Falcons came out determined in the second half. However, the Mingoes had not cooled off yet. They hit three three's on their first five possessions in the second half as the Falcons tried to zone them coming out of the locker room. Austin Mills caught fire in the late third, getting to the paint and finishing repeatedly, scoring 10 straight for the Falcons. As usual, offense turns to defense and the Falcons won the quarter 34-24, cutting the deficit to twelve entering the fourth.
The Mingoes always found a bucket when they needed one though. Kemsy Sylvestre hit a circus shot with one second on the shot clock after scooping up a loose ball and being fouled on it as well. The Falcons cut the deficit to four points by the middle of the fourth quarter after a Jacob Roark three-pointer. That was the closest it would get. Austin Mills went in and out of the game battling cramps the entire quarter. The Falcons were shorthanded tonight and it resulted in key players logging heavy minutes. FC simply could not get enough stops when they needed to.
The Mingoes largest lead was twenty-six. The Falcons led by five in the first quarter. The game featured five lead changes. Both teams managed forty-four points in the paint. The Falcons don't have to wait too long to get the bad taste out of their mouths, they will have a rematch against UB tomorrow at 8 PM. The game will be locally televised in the Bahamas.