Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. – It turned out to be quite the historic night for slashing combo guard Wayne Sears Jr.
The prolific senior poured in a game-high 19 points and joined an exclusive list as he became just the 15th player in the program's history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in his career as the Eckerd College men's basketball pulled away from the University of Tampa on Wednesday night, 73-51.
With just three regular-season games left on the schedule, the Tritons (18-5, 10-3 SSC) thundered to their seventh straight win and still lead the Sunshine State Conference standings while eyeing a potential No. 1 seed when postseason play begins.
Sears Jr. nailed a pair of three-point field goals as part of his 6-for-10 night from the floor. He came into tonight's contest with 996 total points and currently also ranks 15th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,015.
Sears Jr. is scheduled to be honored in front of the home crowd on Senior Day against Lynn University on Feb. 25.
“The kid works on his game like crazy and that's all you can ask for as a coach,” EC Head Coach
Tom Ryan praised. “He's always in the weight room or in the gym taking extra shots. All of his hard work has really paid off.”
“Tampa packed it in early defensively and prevented us from some good looks,” Ryan continued. “Our energy and defense in the second half led to some turnovers and we showed burst -- maybe a little bit of a second wind. We hit some jump shots and made some nice cuts to the basket while getting fouled.”
Eckerd outscored Tampa by a +17 margin in the second half, blowing the doors wide open after holding a five-point advantage at the break.
With under six minutes remaining in the first period, the Tritons snapped a 20-20 tie, the game's third deadlock, to start taking control. Sammy O' Garro nailed a three and
Lance Kearse had a layup to key a quick 5-0 run.
Freshman Malcolm “Theo” Brunner Jr. made a basket to beat the first-half horn and EC led by as many as six in the opening stanza after a three by
Darrien Mack.
At the 10:32 mark of the first half, Sears Jr. swooped in for a layup, the basket that represented points No. 999 and 1,000.
The Tritons put the defensive clamps on the Spartans (6-18, 2-12 SSC) in the second half, holding their rival to just 20 percent shooting on five total field goals (5-for-20).
But Tampa has been resilient as of late and its overall record is deceiving after taking down Rollins College and Barry University in back-to-back games earlier this month.
Four consecutive free throws by
Alex Bodney and Sears Jr. helped open up EC's first double-digit lead and the team sank nine straight from the line sandwiched in between a 6-0 scoring flurry by Sears Jr. himself.
Junior guard
Woody Taylor put Eckerd up by 25 in the latter stages with his fourth trey of the night as he finished with 14 points. Kearse finished with 12 and Mack added 11 with eight rebounds.
The Tritons will look to avenge an earlier defeat in Miami Shores against the Buccaneers of Barry on Saturday. Game time is set for 4 p.m. or after the conclusion of the women's contest.
