Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Freshman swingman
Jerrick Stevenson erupted for 21 points and the Eckerd College men's basketball program withstood a late flurry from Clark Atlanta (Ga.) University to put another tally in the win column on Saturday night, 72-70.
The Panthers (0-2, 0-0 SIAC) canned a trio of three-point baskets inside the final 14 seconds to keep the Tritons (2-0, 0-0 SSC) on their heels in the closing moments.
Three of guard Jermille Fluker's game-high 29 points came with one tick left on the clock as CAU tried to erase a 13-point deficit. Johnnel Young pulled up and nailed three of his four treys within a one-minute span to highlight Clark Atlanta's charge.
But EC's Stevenson came up with a number of clutch shots for the Tritons (2-0, 0-0 SSC) as he finished 7-of-12 from the field.
Stevenson snapped the sixth tie of the game at 49-49 with exactly six minutes left in the game with a steal and a crowd-pleasing two-handed slam.
On the next possession, he stepped back and sank a long triple -- several steps behind the three-point line -- that put the Tritons up by four. Stevenson then ripped the cords from deep again with 51 seconds left to make it a 67-61 EC lead.
Finally, the freshman standout calmly sank two free throws with 0:07 remaining to ice the Panthers.
Stevenson also had another steal in the backcourt, but couldn't get going in transition because he was tripped up by an unidentified CAU player.
Sophomore
Malcolm Brunner Jr. chalked up 13 points and pulled in eight rebounds and senior point guard
Woody Taylor finished with 12 points and seven boards. Junior
Josh Snodgrass dished out six assists in the offensive cause.
Brunner Jr. threw in a vicious one-handed dunk over two defenders shortly after halftime.
After defeating the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon on Friday evening to open the regular season, the Tritons found points tough to come by in the early going as both teams tried to get a feel for each other.
Locked in a 2-2 tie for the first four minutes, the Tritons put together a 10-0 run that led to a nine-point cushion.
Stevenson received a pass in stride and rose over the defense to connect on his first three, one that would give EC its first double-digit lead.
The Tritons went into the break up by seven.
Clark Atlanta outscored Eckerd in the final period, 44-39. Fluker hit a three to put the Panthers up by five, but his shot was matched by EC's Taylor on the next possession.
The Triton lead was restored at the 11:47 mark after a layup by Brunner Jr. and held for good following Stevenson's dunk that sliced the 49-49 tie.
Eckerd will have a week to prepare for its upcoming Sunshine State Conference opener next Saturday at rival Rollins College. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Winter Park, or following the women's matchup.
