MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- This is not what the Buccaneers were expecting. Not a loss. Not by 30.
Rather, the Sunshine State Conference frontrunning Barry University women's basketball team was hoping to maintain its perch atop the league standings with No. 11 Rollins College. But after suffering an 80-50 home loss to Florida Southern Saturday, the Bucs dropped a game behind the Tars in the league race.
Rollins beat Saint Leo, 86-50.
Barry (15-7, 9-3 SSC) never led in a game it shot 31 percent from the floor. Florida Southern (18-5, 9-4) crept within a half-game of the Bucs for second place in the league after shooting 43.9 percent.
The Buccaneers trailed by six at the halftime intermission, but were outscored, 47-23, in the second half in a runaway win for the Moccasins. Alex Zamora was the lone Buccaneer to reach double figures in scoring. She had 10 points and six rebounds.
Michaela Hawley scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Florida Southern, which hit 12 of 27 three-pointers, including a 53.3 percent effort from beyond the arc in the second half. Megan Dzikas canned seven of 12 from beyond the arc, finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Danielle Walsh and Sofie Lundberg had 11 points apiece for the Mocs.
Barry's Brooke Keeton scored seven points and blocked three shots, and Yvonne Houston returned from a one-game absence to finish with eight points and two steals. Shanna Suttington had eight points, four assists and a steal.
The Buccaneers were four of 14 on three-point attempts for 28.6 percent. Barry had nine field goals in each half. Florida Southern shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, and sank all seven of its free throws.
Barry plays at Florida Tech Wednesday.