ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A three-game homestand in the midst of the winter break headlines the holiday schedule for the Eckerd College men's basketball program as part of the St. Petersburg Sports Alliance Series.
The Tritons (2-1, 0-1 SSC) will welcome Shaw (N.C.) on Saturday, Dec. 15, Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) University on Monday, Dec. 17, and Tuskegee (Ala.) University on Wednesday, Dec. 19.
All games will be played in the McArthur Center on the EC campus. The game against Shaw will tip at 4 p.m. while the other two non-conference contests are slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
The first Triton Tailgate of the 2012-13 season will also begin at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and it is open to all the fans prior to the game against Shaw. We would like to cordially invite you and your families to join us for free food, beverage and music, before the 4 p.m. scheduled start.
Live stats and video/audio links will be available on EckerdTritons.com.
The Tritons are coming off a two-week long hiatus after opening Sunshine State Conference play to begin the month of December.
Prior to facing Rollins College on the road, Eckerd collected back-to-back victories on its home court against Puerto Rico-Bayamon and Clark Atlanta (Ga.) University.
Eckerd will be looking for redemption against a gritty Shaw program, which emerged in an overtime battle with a five-point margin of victory in a 2011-12 meeting. The Bears (4-2, 0-0 CIAA) are coming off a 91-86 decision over No. 11 Barton College on Dec. 3.
Shaw senior Karron Johnson is attempting nearly 10 free throw attempts a game to average 22.5 points through six games played.
Shaw will face the University of Tampa the night before facing Eckerd on Friday afternoon.
Johnson C. Smith also has one more tune-up before visiting the McArthur Center, taking a 4-2 record on the road against Claflin (S.C.) University. The Golden Bulls started the year with three straight wins and are led by Trevin Parks, averaging nearly 27 points per game this season.
This will be just the second meeting between Eckerd and Johnson C. Smith in the all-time series history.
After Eckerd earned a 14-point win against Tuskegee in last year's St. Petersburg Sports Alliance Classic, the Golden Tigers have taken on an ambitious schedule in the early going, facing a trio of nationally-ranked squads, including Saint Leo University, the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the University of Montevallo.
The Tritons hold a 3-0 edge in the respective series against Tuskegee.
Eckerd is currently paced in the scoring column by freshman
Jerrick Stevenson (10.3 ppg) while sophomore
Malcolm Brunner Jr. is putting up 10 points, six rebounds and over a block per contest.
The Tritons thank you for your continued support and hope to see you in the stands soon!
