Box Score
SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Eckerd College men's basketball program found the perfect time to strike in the closing minute, but Saint Leo University held on and preserved a win on Senior Night in a rowdy Bowman Center, 58-49.
With 41 seconds left to play clinging to a one-point edge, the Lions (15-10, 9-6 SSC) assembled an 8-0 run, all at the free-throw line, to close out the game.
In hindsight, the Tritons (18-7, 10-5) would prefer to press the rewind button on their last four offensive sequences that resulted in a missed three, turnover, another missed three and a missed layup in that span.
Eckerd took the lead on the game's first field goal, a jumper by
Walade Wade, but trailed the remaining 38:59. The game was delayed until a start time of 8:15 p.m. due to the thrilling double-overtime battle from the women's matchup.
Tritons Head Coach
Tom Ryan stayed home and was absent from the sidelines while battling the flu all day.
“The guys had decided at halftime that they were gonna make defense a focal point,” EC assistant coach
Kendrick Wilson said. “We were able to get back into it and get back better looks offensively because we moved the ball well. We were right there and that's always the tough part of the game.”
“In the second half we did everything we needed to do to win -- except for the turnovers,” he continued. “We could have certainly laid down, but we fought back and gave ourselves a chance.”
EC fell in back-to-back games for just the second time this season and one with a Senior Day showdown only left on the regular-season docket against Lynn University this Saturday, it's shaping up to be a critical one.
If the Sunshine State Conference Tournament began today, the Tritons would still be in position to host a first-round contest next Wednesday, Feb. 29, in the McArthur Center before the advancing teams convene in Lakeland for the semifinals and championship game March 3-4.
It was a tale of two halves for EC against Saint Leo, shooting 29 percent in the first half versus a 45 percent-clip in the final period. Saint Leo led by as many as eight in the first half and went into the break with a seven-point cushion.
Darrien Mack tallied 14 points to lead the Tritons while
Alex Bodney knocked down a pair of three-point field goals on his way to 13 points.
Current SSC Player of the Week Marcus Ruh was kept in check with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting, but he was picked up by teammates Trent Thomas (18 points), Shaun Adams (15 points) and a double-double by Tom Neary (11 points, 10 rebounds).
A three by Ruh extended Saint Leo's lead to 10 with over 12 minutes to play, but a three by Mack and two free throws from Bodney made it a six-point game. Wade came up big with a layup and tip-in on consecutive possessions while a triple from senior
Wayne Sears Jr. sliced the deficit to just one.
The Tritons will conclude the regular-season on Saturday afternoon against Lynn University for Senior Day. Seniors Sears Jr. and
Lance Kearse will be recognized in a special ceremony before the Tritons take on the Fighting Knights. Live stats with streaming live video/audio will be available on
www.EckerdTritons.com.
