Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Senior
Lance Kearse netted 16 points to lead three of his teammates in double figures and the second-seeded Eckerd College men's basketball program overcame upset-minded No. 7 seed Barry University to open the Sunshine State Conference Tournament on Wednesday night, 71-62.
Junior forward
Walade Wade hit a three with the shot clock winding down in the late stages as part of his 13 points while
Darrien Mack came through with 11 points and
Josh Snodgrass was 4-for-5 from the field to contribute 10.
On “White Out Wednesday”, the third time really was the charm for the Tritons (20-7, 11-5 SSC), who were on the short end of a pair of regular-season clashes against the Buccaneers. Barry had its season come to a close with a 12-7 overall record.
“They beat us twice, but during this time of the year, you have to win to advance,” EC Head Coach
Tom Ryan said. “We have all kinds of goals for the year and the conference season and this point, it still is just about taking it one game at a time.”
“We knew Barry could shoot the ball well and the big kid inside (Emory Bennett) is a beast,” he added. “In the second half, we found a little bit better way to guard them and they finally missed some shots.”
With the quarterfinal triumph, the Tritons advanced to the semifinals of the SSC Tournament this weekend where a date against No. 3 seed Saint Leo University awaits on Saturday, March 3, in Lakeland at the Jenkins Field House.
The start time has been already been set for a noon tip-off.
The winner will then move on to the SSC Championship game on Sunday, March 4, to face either top-seeded Florida Tech or No. 5 seed Florida Southern College in a Bright House Network televised final.
Saint Leo eliminated No. 6 seed Nova Southeastern University from postseason contention earlier tonight.
The Tritons emerged from a first-half defensive struggle with a one-point advantage at halftime.
After a jumper by McCoy put Barry up by three early in the second half, Eckerd engineered a 10-0 run to lead again, 45-40, with 13:23 to play in regulation.
The Bucs were held to just one field goal in a critical near six-minute span and the Tritons pushed their lead to double-digits on a transition layup from sophomore
Alex Bodney.
Barry closed the gap to six with over eight minutes to play, but that was the closest the Bucs would get down the stretch. Eckerd took care of business at the charity stripe as Barry attempted to slow the game for extra possessions.
Eckerd was 10-of-12 from the free-throw line in both respective halves as Kearse and Wade were perfect with a 4-for-4 effort.
Evan White led Barry with 15 points as Bennett and Justin McCoy each finished with 10.
Stay tuned to EckerdTritons.com for additional SSC Tournament coverage, including a preview of the weekend matchup between the Tritons and Lions.
