Posted: Jan 16, 2025
LAKE WORTH, Fla.- It was a battle of the #15s Wednesday night in Lake Worth as the NJCAA Division I #15 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers headed to the East Coast to take on the NJCAA Division II #15 Palm Beach State Panthers. FSW got off to a sluggish start in the first half and trailed by seven at the halftime break before storming back behind freshman Samantha Serrano for a 63-61 win at the final horn.
The Bucs came out hot early on, jumping out to an early 12-5 lead midway through the first quarter. After the first quarter media timeout, the Bucs were a bit perplexed to find that they no longer had 12 points on the board, but a scoring error at the table left them with 10. Their objections fell upon deaf ears and after five straight from Palm Beach, their 12-5 lead turned into a 10-10 tie in a head scratching sequence of events. It was a struggle for both sides for the final five minutes of the period as the two combined for just nine points with FSW holding a 15-14 lead on the scoreboard at the end of one.
The second quarter was one to forget for the Purple and Aqua as they managed just eight points in the period as their lead was erased and spun into a 30-23 Panther lead at the half.
FSW's deficit grew to a dozen early in the second half as they remained out of sorts on the offensive end of the floor. Cue Samantha Serrano. With her team down 12, Serrano took over the game for the Bucs, pouring in 15 points over the final eight minutes of the quarter, slowly cutting into the Panther lead before retaking a 45-42 lead at the end of three.
The Bucs continued to roll as the fourth quarter got underway, methodically stretching out their lead to 10 with time winding down. Just when it looked like it was going to be smooth sailing for the Bucs to the finish line, here came the Panthers. A three and a quick turnover and score for Palm Beach cut the Bucs lead in half in the blink of an eye and a three made it a one possession game with under 20 seconds remaining. Serrano hit a pair of huge free throws to make it a four point game and the Bucs hung on by the skin of their teeth at the buzzer for a 63-61 win.
Serrano scored 27 of her game high 30 points in the second half while Georgi Buzzetti filled up the stat sheet with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocked shots in the win.
FSW wins their 12th straight to improve to 14-3 on the year while Palm Beach State falls to 11-6.
The Bucs will turn their attention back to Citrus Conference play on Saturday when they take on St. Petersburg in a 2 PM matinee tip at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers.
