LAKE WORTH, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers got off to a quick start and never looked back Tuesday night on the road at D2 #8 Palm Beach, scoring the first 10 points of the ballgame and taking a 22-6 lead after one quarter in route to a 71-55 win over the Panthers to move to 4-3 on the year. 

 

It was all FSW early on as the Bucs held the Panthers off the scoreboard while getting out to a 10-0 lead four minutes into the ballgame. Palm Beach finally got on the board, but they couldn't slow the red hot Bucs down as a Euro step and-one from Samantha Serrano upped their lead to 19-4 and after one period of play it was all FSW, leading 22-6. 

 

It was more of the same for the Bucs as the second quarter got underway as Asiana Britt found a cutting Ivy Brown for an easy two to make it 30-10 and Delfina Cergneux scored in the paint to keep FSW up by 20, 36-16 with three minutes to go in the half. FSW would tack on a pair to their lead before the break, taking a 39-17 lead into the locker rooms at the half. 

 

Palm Beach couldn't gain any ground on the Bucs in the third as Britt scored on a well executed inbounds play to keep it a 20 point game midway through the quarter and a late bucket from Georgi Buzzetti kept it that way at the end of three, 53-33. 

 

A pair of quick threes for Palm Beach gave the Panthers some hope as they trimmed the Bucs lead to 14 early in the fourth, but they couldn't put any further pressure on the Purple and Aqua as the Bucs finished things out 71-55 for their second straight Top 10 road win. 

 

Britt led FSW with a career high 21 points while Serrano and Brown each had 11 and Cergneux tied a career high with 10 off the FSW bench. 

 

The Bucs win their second straight game over a Top 10 ranked opponent to improve to 4-3 on the year while Palm Beach loses for just the second time this season, falling to 5-2. 

 

FSW will now turn their attention to Citrus Conference play where they will open up league action next Monday at 5 PM in Suncoast Arena when they take on St. Petersburg.  At halftime of the game, the FSW Volleyball team will be recognized for their 2024 NJCAA National Championship with an opportunity to meet and greet the team afterwards in the Hospitality Room.