Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A balanced scoring effort combined with stellar shooting set the tone for a strong non-conference win as the Eckerd College men's basketball program routed Caldwell (N.J.) College, 91-70, on Saturday night.
Four players ended up in double figures, led by
Lance Kearse's 18.
Wayne Sears Jr. added 17,
Darrien Mack poured in 15 in a reserve role and
Alex Bodney hit a pair of baskets from beyond the arc as he finished with 12.
Sears also dished out six assists while point guard
Woody Taylor filled the stat sheet with nine points, tying for a team-high seven rebounds and handing out five assists.
The Tritons (2-0, 0-0 SSC) hit over 56 percent of their field goal attempts while holding the Cougars (2-1 overall to just a shade over 37 percent shooting. Eckerd's defensive pressure forced 17 Caldwell turnovers, including 11 steals.
EC Head Coach
Tom Ryan initially got a glimpse of Caldwell as the Cougars played a neutral-site contest against Palm Beach Atlantic University on Friday night. The Cougars toppled the Sailfish and Ryan took notes to factor into his preparation.
“With our current situation of injuries, I was worried about the inside because of their physical presence,” he said. “Lance (Kearse) and Wally (Wade) did a great job. Theo (Brunner Jr.) gave us some good minutes and Darrien (Mack) was very productive. Our bigs stepped up really nice tonight.”
After torching the nets for a career-high 31 in the season opener against Southeastern University, Kearse netted 18 more on 6-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-6 on free throws. He pulled down six rebounds, half on the offensive end.
The Tritons broke open an early 7-7 tie with a 9-2 run capped off by a layup from Kearse.
EC's advantage swelled to double-digits for the first time at the 10:42 mark in the first half on a basket by Mack, who finished 5-of-7 from the field.
Bodney connected from long range twice in a three-minute span as the Tritons led by a comfortable 15-point margin. Sears then scored the Tritons' final six points of the half, including a buzzer-beating layup that sent Eckerd into the locker room up 44-30.
Out of the intermission, Eckerd didn't relent and for the final 20 minutes, the Cougars couldn't get any closer than their 14-point halftime deficit.
Kearse converted a pair of free throws after a technical foul was assessed to the Caldwell bench with 7:23 remaining and for the final five minutes, the Tritons led by at least 20 points. Eckerd hit 19-of-31 (61.3 percent) attempts from the field in the final period.
Nikola Otovic led Caldwell in the scoring column with 14 points.
The Tritons have five days of rest before facing the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon to tip off the Eckerd College Thanksgiving Classic next week on Friday. EC and UPR will get underway at 7:30 p.m.
