Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Eckerd College men's basketball team went on a 21-2 run over the final 11:39 to pull away from Lynn University on Wednesday night, 63-43.
The Tritons (12-5, 5-3 SSC) were like a runaway freight train down the stretch, stifling the Fighting Knights (10-10, 3-5 SSC) and limiting their opponent to just 14 points in the second half.
Senior guard
Wayne Sears Jr. exploded for 18 of his 24 points in the second half alone, carving up Lynn's defense on 7-of-8 shooting in the final period.
Senior forward
Lance Kearse added 10 and junior
Walade Wade posted eight points, nine rebounds and five steals.
Eckerd erased a four-point halftime deficit and outscored Lynn, 38-14 in the second half. The Fighting Knights' only points in the last 11 minutes and change came on a pair of free throws courtesy of Brandon Smith with 4:04 left in regulation.
Both teams went back-and-forth at each other in the first half as the Tritons jumped out to a 15-8 lead, capped by an
Alex Bodney field goal. Eckerd was balanced out of the gates, getting contributions from all five starters in the game-opening run.
Kearse made a pair of free throws, junior
Woody Taylor converted a layup, Wade cashed in on a jumper, Sears Jr. drilled a three and
Darrien Mack came off the bench for a quick-strike bucket.
But Lynn turned the tables right before halftime, grabbing momentum from its home crowd to lead by seven with 2:17 before the break.
The Fighting Knights snapped a 20-20 tie with a 9-2 run, thanks in part to Slobodan Miljanic's four made shots from downtown in the first half.
Eckerd scored 22 points off 12 Lynn turnovers in the second half and dominated the interior, outscoring the Fighting Knights in the paint, 24-6, in the final frame. Lynn scored the first basket of the second half, but the tide quickly turned.
After a Sears Jr. basket cut the deficit to two, Taylor ripped the cords from deep to give EC a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. Sears Jr. sank a pair of free throws for a double-digit lead and the margin swelled to 17 with under five minutes to play.
Sears Jr. scored the game's final five points and concluded his scintillating second half with a trey as the Tritons racked up the 20-point margin of victory.
The Tritons return home to the McArthur Center this weekend to play host to Florida Tech on Saturday. Eckerd will be looking to avenge a regular-season defeat that began Sunshine State Conference play in Melbourne on Dec. 3.
