Anttila, Deegan Lead No. 15 Tritons Past Barry for 10th Straight Win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd women's basketball team continues to lead the way in the Sunshine State Conference after its 10th consecutive win.

The Tritons (12-2, 6-0 SSC) defeated Barry University, 71-48, Saturday afternoon in convincing fashion. 

The nationally-ranked Eckerd team jumped out to an early 6-0 lead over the Buccaneers (4-10, 2-5 SSC). The Tritons had no issue maintaining the lead, ending the first quarter ahead 20-10. Eckerd drained four 3-pointers in the first quarter, three of which came from long-range sharpshooter Anna Deegan. 

"We stressed the importance of a fast start," Eckerd head coach Paul Honsinger said. "And we did that."

Eckerd went on a 7-0 run to start the second quarter with two lay-ups from Armi Anttila and a 3-pointer by Ada Yalcin. The cushion the Tritons created early proved to hold for the rest of the half. Eckerd headed for the locker room with a comfortable 23-point lead over the Bucs, ahead 42-19.

In the third quarter, the Tritons extended their lead to as many as 31 points after a 13-5 run before settling in and controlling the game's momentum.

"We moved the ball effectively against the zone and shot the ball well," Honsinger said. "We had a lot of contributors today."

Anttila finished the game with a career-best 14 points while Deegan posted 13 points on the day. Yalcin dished out seven assists, all in the first half, as the Tritons shot 54.5 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.  All 10 Tritons who logged minutes scored in the contest.

The Tritons currently lead the conference in scoring margin at 19.9 points per game.

Eckerd's offensive rhythm and stellar defense bode well with a much-anticipated battle of the bay match-up nearing. The Tritons host the University of Tampa Wednesday evening at 5:30 PM as the Spartans look to test the nationally ranked squad.