TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. ( Nov. 4, 2022) – The Conquistadors once again fall short of their first win of the year, losing 107-61 against the NAIA Preseason No. 21 ranked Florida College Falcons. Despite an explosive early first half and a forty-minute delay in play due to traffic, Florida National was overpowered by a well-disciplined Falcons team. This victory signals the fourth win for the undefeated Falcons as FNU falls to 0-2 in the 2022-23 season.
The first half was tightly contested in the early going as Florida National kept things close trailing 17-21 about halfway through the first. But the Falcons picked up their offense shooting 75% from the field. The Falcons also went 3-4 from the three-point line and outrebounded FNU 19 to 11. The home team pushed the pace and got easy layups as their lead ballooned to 49-32 as the half ticked to an end. Ryan Sanchez and Jovan Debrito put up double-digit halves scoring 13 and 11 points respectively.
With a new 20-minute half in the works, FNU found itself facing a 27-point defect with just 13 minutes left to play in the contest. While FNU was shooting in the low thirties for the majority of the contest, the Falcons had five players in double figures with much of the half still left to play. Stephon Martin had 12 points midway through the half and when paired with teammate Matt Simpson’s 12 points, Florida National did not have an answer to the offensive powerhouse the Falcons were displaying all contest long.
Florida National did show some life as Matthew Robinson had a quick five points on some smooth jumpers but Florida College held a very comfortable thirty-point lead. EJ Wynn had five unanswered points with five minutes left in the contest forcing a timeout as FC held a 94-52 lead. Florida College was on the hunt for its first 100-point game of the season and the moment came when Drew Kramer put away a solid two-point shot to give the Falcons 101 points.
The Falcons hung six more points before the final buzzer rang in Temple Terrace, Florida. Debrito and Sanchez ended the night with 15 and 17 points, respectively. Girardi Cabillan contributed nine points along with two rebounds and a block.
Up Next: Florida National faces another top-ranked NAIA favorite as they make the trip to face No.17 Southeastern University at 7 p.m.
