Box Score WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Breaking a few records is not enough for the Eckerd women's basketball team. They prefer to shatter them.
The Tritons (11-2, 5-0 SSC) defeated Palm Beach Atlantic, 71-53, Wednesday night in Eckerd's first contest of the new year. The win extends Eckerd's unbeaten streak to nine while continuing to holding first place in the Sunshine State Conference.
Prior to the matchup against the Sailfish (5-8, 1-5 SSC), the Tritons earned national recognition by ranking No. 15 in the D2SIDA Media Poll for the first time in program history.
With that record in mind, the Tritons picked up where they left off in 2016. Eckerd never trailed in the game after jumping out to an early 11-2 lead and continued to dominate the rest of the contest.
"Our defense and energy were terrific to start the contest," Eckerd head coach Paul Honsinger said. "We set the tone early with a 22-5 first quarter."
The Tritons extended their 17-point lead to as much as 24 in the second quarter before taking a 42-21 lead into the half.
A staple of the nationally-ranked Eckerd squad has been its strong defense, and again the Tritons performed. In the first half alone, Eckerd recorded eight steals and held Palm Beach Atlantic to just 25 percent shooting. EC finished the game with 15 steals and forced the Sailfish into 21 turnovers.
The Tritons maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half behind leading scorers Kacie Juday and Victoria Vine, both of whom finished the game with 19 points. Juday was a near-perfect 7-of-8 from the floor while Vine went 8-of-12.
"Our balance offensively was good tonight," Honsinger said. "We played well out of the post and assisted on several open cuts for high-percentage scores."
The Tritons return home to take on the Buccaneers of Barry University on Saturday at 2:00 PM.
