Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sophomore
Malcolm Brunner Jr. recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds to complement a pair of blocked shots as the Eckerd College men's basketball program downed Barry University on Saturday afternoon, 75-63.
Senior forward
Darrien Mack led all players with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting (6-of-6 FT) to go with seven rebounds. Junior forward
Junior McLeod scored 10 points and pulled in six rebounds.
Eckerd bounced back from a 10-point first-half deficit, led by as many as 15 and stifled the Barry offense to just 30 percent shooting from the field, including a 21.2 percent clip in the second half alone.
The Tritons (9-4, 3-3 SSC) moved to .500 in the Sunshine State Conference, bouncing back from a road defeat at No. 20 Florida Southern College earlier this week.
The conference struggles continued for the Buccaneers (7-7, 1-4 SSC), who received 14 points from Chad Renfro and Justin McCoy. Aaron Martin scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half.
Brunner Jr.'s tireless effort on the glass, which included four offensive rebounds, resulted in a +11 margin on the boards as EC outrebounded Barry, 45-34. He asserted himself down in the post with a perfect 4-for-4 start from the field and took advantage of nine made shots at the free throw line.
Brunner Jr., exceeding his season average of over a block per game, rejected a driving layup by Justin McCoy in the closing moments to put the final stamp on the home win.
Both teams started out hot from the floor, with Eckerd beginning 5-of-7 and Barry 6-of-8, but the Tritons were 0-for-11 from long range in the first half while the Bucs nailed six three pointers in the first 20 minutes.
Martin hit a trio of treys from the corner as part of 11 points in the opening frame and half of Barry's first 30 points were dialed up from long distance.
But after the fast start, the Bucs faded to just 12-of-52 the rest of the way, as the Tritons put the clamps on at the defensive end. McLeod and junior
Dino Tabakovic provided key second-half plays in reserve roles to help the turn tables on Barry.
Tabakovic swooped in for a finger-roll layup following a steal to tie the game 42-42 five minutes after halftime.
Mack gave Eckerd its first lead with a layup with 13:32 left to play and triggered a 16-2 run as the Tritons gained control. McLeod threw down a one-handed dunk over the top of the defense that gave the Tritons their first double-digit lead with nine minutes to play, 55-45.
One minute later, the Tritons enjoyed their largest lead of the game after
Jerrick Stevenson canned a three on the break. Senior guard
Woody Taylor, who converted EC's other three-point bucket, handed out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds.
The Tritons will take on another nationally-ranked program next week on Wednesday, welcoming No. 21 Saint Leo University to the McArthur Center for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.
