BRADENTON, Fla.- After playing close for the first 20 minutes with the State College of Florida Manatees Saturday afternoon in Bradenton, the #17 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers stepped on the gas in the second half, eventually blowing away the Manatees 81-63 for their seventh Southern Conference win of the 2021 season. 

 

The Bucs got off to a slow start and faced a 14-13 deficit midway through the first half.  After tying the score at 22, Kario Oquendo drove to the basket for an old fashioned three point play to give the Bucs a 25-22 lead with 5:00 to go in the period. FSW pushed ahead by double digits moments later, but the Manatees, thanks in part to a last second foul call, were able to cut the Bucs lead to five at 37-33 at the end of 20 minutes of action. 

 

As has become common in matchups between FSW and SCF, the Bucs owned the second half.  A bucket from Terry Roberts put the Bucs up a dozen and a corner three from Kaiyem Cleary midway through the half kept FSW in front by 12 at 58-46.  Jaden Campbell found a crease in the Manatee defense for an easy two to stretch the lead to 17 and the Bucs went up by as many as 22 late before closing SCF out 81-63 at the final horn.  

 

Oquendo led three Bucs in double figures with 20 points while Jonathan Dos Anjos added 15 and CJ Lane chipped in 13.  

 

The Bucs improve to 13-2 overall and 7-1 in Southern Conference play while State College of Florida falls to 9-5 overall and 5-3 in conference action.  

 

FSW heads out of conference action this week as they travel to old Suncoast Conference rival Hillsborough Monday for a non-conference date in Tampa, before going to New Port Richey to take on Pasco-Hernando on Wednesday.