MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | Florida Memorial dropped their first conference game to St. Thomas by the score of 107-90 in the Battle of Miami Gardens at the FMU Wellness Center. The contest marks the second loss in a row for the Lions.
The first half proved to be a thrilling contest from start to finish as both teams poured in nearly 60 points each as St. Thomas held a slim 58-57 lead at the break.
Overall, the Lions were led by Teonta McKeithen who finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from downtown. McKeithen also grabbed eight boards and dished out two assists while teammate
Jacobi Gordon added 16 points, hitting 4-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-5 three-pointers. Gordon also connected on all five of his free throw attempts.
Early in the second half, the Lions led 63-62 shortly after Tavin Pierre-Philippe fouled out of the contest. That's when the Bobcats went on an 18-9 run to take an 80-69 lead, putting pressure on FMU. St. Thomas' defense held Florida Memorial to just 33 points in the second half, a season-low, while STU point guard Fred Mulba and forward Milton Matthews carried the load for the Bobcats. Mulba finished with a game-high 36 points on 15-of-20 shooting from the field along with six assists and six steals while Matthews finished with 35 points and hit seven three-pointers in the victory.
FMU's Cam'ron Wilson generated a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards in 33 minutes of action. Miles Jordan-Smartt and Richard Wilson chipped in with 11 and 10 points respectively.
As a team, FMU shot 40 percent from the field (30-of-75) while their opponent shot 55 percent (38-of-69). The Lions committed 20 turnovers compared to just 10 for St. Thomas.
The Lions return to action on Thursday, November 17 as they host Warner in conference play. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the FMU Wellness Center.
