MELBOURNE, Fla. (Interstat) — Misael Cruz Rodriguez recorded a triple-double and Sean Register Jr. poured in 29 points to lead Eastern Florida State to an 81-67 victory over Florida Southwestern State in a men’s junior college basketball game Saturday.

The win at Titan Field House avenged a loss from earlier in the season for the Titans and evened the season series between the two Suncoast Conference rivals.

Eastern Florida State improved to 16-6 overall, while Florida Southwestern State fell to 16-5.

The most important part of the game was Eastern Florida State’s dominant and efficient first quarter, which set a commanding tone the Buccaneers could never overcome. The Titans exploded for 44 points in the opening period, fueled by hot shooting and a series of early Buccaneer turnovers. They shot 9 for 17 from 3-point range for the game and a near-perfect 14 of 15 from the free-throw line, building an 11-point lead after the first quarter that Florida Southwestern State spent the rest of the afternoon unsuccessfully trying to erase.

Cruz Rodriguez was the catalyst, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. His all-around play orchestrated the Titans’ offense, which scored 81 points on just 73 possessions for an impressive offensive rating of 110.8. Register provided the high-volume scoring, hitting 10 field goals and adding three blocks.

The Buccaneers, who entered the game on a three-game winning streak, struggled with their shooting throughout. They made just 24 of 66 field goal attempts, a 36.4% clip, and connected on only 6 of 23 from beyond the arc. Their offensive rating of 86.5 paled in comparison to the Titans’ efficiency.

Mason Blazer led Florida Southwestern State with 19 points, while Tyler Bey and Kenyon Giles each added 15. Stephen Okoro pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds, but the Buccaneers’ 15 turnovers and 36.4% shooting from the field proved too much to overcome despite a 42-35 rebounding advantage.

Eastern Florida State’s defensive presence was also notable, registering nine blocks and nine steals. Eby Ogoh contributed four of those blocks in just 12 minutes of action.

The Titans never trailed after the opening minutes. A 3-pointer from Register just over 45 seconds into the game gave them a lead they would not relinquish. While Florida Southwestern State managed to keep pace in the second quarter, being outscored by only three points, the damage from the first-quarter deficit was irreversible. The Buccaneers trimmed the lead to single digits at times in the second half, but each mini-run was answered by the Titans, often by Cruz Rodriguez or Register.

The game was a reversal of the teams’ previous meeting on Jan. 14, when Florida Southwestern State secured a 97-82 home victory.

Eastern Florida State next travels to face Hillsborough on Feb. 21. Florida Southwestern State returns home to host Miami Dade on Feb. 18.