Eckerd-Florida Southern Box Score
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Eckerd College men's basketball team used a strong defense and hung on late to beat No. 2 seed Florida Southern 70-69 on Saturday in the semifinals of the 2011 BlueCross and BlueShield of Florida Sunshine State Conference Basketball Championship.
John Harper had 11 points and nine rebounds, while three Tritons scored 10 points each, to lead No. 3 seed Eckerd (22-7) to its first SSC tournament title game since 2007.
Rion Rayfield led the Mocs (22-8) with 23 points but was just 5-for-17 from the field. Eckerd held Florida Southern to 31 percent shooting from the field, including 27 percent in the first half.
The Tritons needed the defensive effort in the final seconds, as Florida Southern trimmed a nine-point deficit to one in the game's final 1:20.
The Mocs had the ball and a chance to win, but the Tritons forced a contested 3-pointer from Rayfield in the final seconds that rimmed out.
Eckerd overcame 21 turnovers, including three in the final 1:10.
Despite the miscues, the Tritons built a double-figure lead in the second half. Eckerd went on an 18-4 run during an eight-minute stretch to take a 60-47 lead with 5:19 remaining.
Lance Kearse, Dale Carn and Quincy Okolie each had 10 points for the Tritons, who out-rebounded the Mocs 45-34. Senior point guard Chris Gray recorded eight points and eight assists -- including six points in the second half.
Eckerd, which defeated the Mocs for the second time in three meetings, will face No. 1 seed Rollins at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The game will be televised live on BrightHouse Sports TV.
