TAMPA, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers got off to a slow start and never got things completely going Saturday afternoon in Tampa, dropping an 88-82 decision to the Hillsborough Hawks in their 2023 Southern Conference finale. 

 

The Bucs took an early 6-5 lead on the Hawks three minutes in, but managed just two points over the next 6:35 as Hillsborough raced in front 17-8. The Bucs finally broke their drought with a bucket, but the Hawks answered with one of their own to take a 19-11 lead at the end of one quarter of play.  

 

FSW's deficit grew to double digits as the second quarter began with Hillsborough taking a 24-13 lead with 7:14 to go in the half. An offensive rebound and putback from Blessing King started the Bucs on a 13-0 run over the next four minutes, erasing the Hawks lead and putting FSW in front 26-24 with 3:12 to go in the half.   Hillsborough got the next five to push back in front, but the Bucs closed the half strong, taking a 34-32 lead into the locker rooms at the break. 

 

The third quarter was full of fireworks as the teams combined for 59 points in 10 minutes of action.  The Bucs got off to a good start as Macarena Retamales scored the first four points of the period and moments later Natalia Tondi drilled a three to put the Bucs up seven, 43-36 two minutes into the half. FSW went up by as many as nine before Hillsborough trimmed it back to a one possession game at 64-61.  

 

Hillsborough scored the first five of the fourth to take the lead back at 66-64 but the Bucs came right back and retook the lead on a bucket from Aaliyah Williams just 45 seconds later.  The Bucs and Hawks continued to go back and forth, finding themselves deadlocked at 76 with 5:25 to go. Hillsborough went on a 7-3 run over the next three minutes to take a four point lead and the Bucs never recovered. With the Hawks still up three and just under a minute to go a big three by HCC stretched their lead to six and the Bucs didn't score again as Hillsborough went on to take it 88-82 to end their season on a high note.  

 

The Bucs outshot the Hawks 47% to 43% in the game, but turnovers again hurt FSW as Hillsborough had a +10 margin in points off of turnovers in the win.  The Bucs had three players with 20 points for the first time in program history as Retamales went for 25 while Tondi and Williams each had 20.  King rewrote a pair of FSW records on Saturday as she not only broke her own single game record with 23 rebounds including 11 on the offensive end, but also surpassed the Bucs single season rebounding record, blowing past the former record of 269 with the 23 rebound performance.  

 

The Bucs fall to 18-8 overall and finish Southern Conference play at 6-3 with the loss. Hillsborough finishes their 2022-2023 season 9-19 overall and 2-7 in conference action.  

 

FSW has added one more regular season contest as they will travel to Lake Worth to take on Palm Beach State next Friday in a matinee affair before heading to the NJCAA Region VIII Tournament as the #2 seed from the Southern Conference March 8-11 in Niceville.