MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | No. 17 Florida Memorial produced a strong second half, scoring 51 points to pull away for an 88-82 victory over New College of Florida at the FMU Wellness Center in non-conference action. The contest marks the 17th victory for the Lions this season as they improve to 17-4 overall under the direction of first year head coach Delano Thomas.

FMU was led by Latavious Mitchell who finished with a team-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and one block in just 23 minutes of action while teammate Derrius Ward added 13 points, six dimes, two boards and one steal in the victory.

Lions guard Jaiden Guice was red hot from downtown, connecting on 4-of-7 three pointers as he produced 12 points. Fellow Lion Felix Uadiale chipped in with 11 points and seven boards while point guard Evan Busby filled the stat sheet with 10 points, five boards and four assists.

As a team, Florida Memorial dominated down low with 38 points in the paint and turned a nine-point first half deficit into a 21-point lead in the second half.

The Lions return to action on Saturday, Feb. 3 as they travel to Lake Wales to face Warner. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.