Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - When the women's basketball teams from Eckerd College and Nova Southeastern face off, the game is often tightly-contested until the very end. Tonight's game was no exception, coming down to the final possession where Eckerd had a chance to win.
Unfortunately for the Tritons, a 3-pointer by
Victoria Vine from the top of the key missed the mark and the No. 11 Sharks held on for a 64-63 win at the McArthur Center.
Eckerd head coach
Paul Honsinger said his team didn't get the look it hoped for on its final possession, but still got a quality shot for the potential game-winner.
"We were trying to spread the floor and attack the basket," he said. "We wanted the ball in Vicky's hands and I'm happy she took that shot. We would've preferred to be able to get to the rim and put pressure on [Nova]."
Had the shot gone in, it would have been quite the way to cap off a career night for the senior from Spain as Vine netted a career-best 24 points to go along with seven rebounds. Time after time in the second half, she hit big shots that helped give Eckerd a chance to win while scoring 10 of EC's 13 points in the final quarter.
Eckerd (7-4, 3-2 SSC) battled back from an early deficit after Nova Southeastern scored 27 points in the first quarter, including 12 from Kayla Wright. Honsinger changed up the team's defensive strategy after the quarter, allowing the Tritons to limit Wright and considerably slow down the Sharks' offense.
"We were trying to deny three-quarters on the post and bring backside help," he said. "We made the adjustment and started playing behind the posts instead."
Wright still had a big game for NSU (13-1, 5-0 SSC) with 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting, but the change helped hold the Sharks to just 37 points over the last three quarters.
The Tritons didn't take their first lead until 4:39 left to play on a Vine layup. NSU retook the lead on a 3-pointer by Molly Blomer on its next possession but
Sarah Ammons answered right back with a 3 of her own on a Vine assist.
That would turn out to be EC's last lead, although a traditional 3-point play by Vine tied the game with 2:45 to play. Wright responded with an acrobatic shot on NSU's ensuing trip down the floor and the Sharks were able to hang on for the win.
Playing a team like Nova Southeastern is always a good barometer for Honsinger, and he praised the way his team was ready for the challenge of facing a nationally-ranked opponent in its first game out of the break.
"Nova is always good," he said. "It creates a heightened sense of competitiveness and we've always been eager to take on the challenge of playing them."
Eckerd also got 15 points from
Ashley Folsom and 10 from
Anna Deegan in the contest.
The week gets no easier for the Tritons, traveling to face No. 21 Florida Southern on Saturday at 5:30 PM.
