Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With 1.5 seconds on the clock, Yvonne Houston banked home an alley-oop in one fluid motion as Barry University came back to stun the Eckerd College women's basketball program on Saturday afternoon, 63-62.
Houston went softly off glass as two crisp passes set up the catch-and-release shot while airborne for the Buccaneers' senior guard. Houston's game winner capped a back-and-forth struggle against the Tritons (13-10, 6-8 SSC) that featured six ties and 14 lead changes.
Senior
Linsey Niles put the Tritons ahead with exactly one minute on the clock, cashing in on a pair of free throws for, 62-61 edge. The Tritons had a foul to give and with six seconds left, forced Barry to reset.
But the Bucs (16-8, 10-4 SSC) assembled quickly off the inbounds play and showed off their court vision with a pair of crisp passes that set up Houston, who finished with a game-high 18 points.
The Tritons were able to get the ball with 1.5 ticks remaining, but time expired in a hurry as EC had to start at the back end line.
The Tritons wore pink uniforms and honored breast cancer survivors in a special pregame ceremony for “Think Pink” day in the McArthur Center. A portion of the proceeds generated from the game will be donated to the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association's charity of choice, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Eckerd Head Coach
Paul Honsinger was unable to be on the sidelines for today's game due to unforeseeable circumstances. His extended family was well-represented in the stands in commemoration of Coach Honsinger's mother, Anne, a three-year breast cancer survivor.
The Russell Athletic uniforms were generously donated by the Honsinger family.
Senior
Kati Rausberg scored 14 points and was officially inducted into the program's 1,000-point club during halftime of the men's contest. She was joined by her teammates along with family and friends across the Atlantic from her home country of Estonia and was presented a game ball by assistant coach Sarah Gaffney.
Eckerd battled back valiantly after being doubled up on the scoreboard, 30-15, by the 6:11 mark of the first half.
The Tritons neutralized the deficit with a scoring flurry against Barry, finished off with a three-point field goal canned by
Krystal Charles in the right corner that put EC up one heading into the locker room.
EC pulled ahead by five after one of Rausberg's long-distance connections in the second half, but BU reserve Tasheema Lewis picked up Barry's offensive slack in the post after foul trouble forced starters Alex Zamora and Shanna Suttington to the bench.
Lewis scored all eight of her points in the second half and came up big with a pair of blocked shots on the same possession in the late stages.
Charles finished with 16 on 5-of-12 shooting and freshman
Emilie Hesseldal battled on the glass for seven rebounds to go with nine points.
With just two Sunshine State Conference contests remaining on the schedule, the Tritons will head to Saint Leo University on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. clash.
