WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Eckerd College women's basketball program stormed to its third consecutive win to begin the young 2013-14 campaign, taking down Palm Beach Atlantic University with blistering shooting on Wednesday evening inside Rubin Arena, 83-49.
The Tritons (3-0, 0-0 SSC) continued to hold the upper hand in the recent series history, streaking to their ninth straight win over the Sailfish (1-4 overall) dating back to 2009, respectively.
Junior guard
Rana Thomas was just two points shy of matching her career-best total with a game-high 18, senior
Liga Vente established herself early with 13 of her 14 points in the first half and several others were close to joining them in double figures.
All 10 players on the official roster scored, including a streak of six consecutive points late in regulation triggered by freshman
Sarah Ammons as the second-team members had their turn to dictate the tempo and preserve a substantial lead down the stretch.
"Our defense was key; we held another team under 50 points and I thought we took away their strengths (the high ball screen) and that set the tone for us," said EC Head Coach
Paul Honsinger, who earned career win No. 98 today. "We had several back-to-back stops and that allowed us to free up some more offensive possessions."
Ammons and senior
Kristiana Stauere scored nine points off the bench with three more teammates (
Rachel Temple,
Ivana Grbic,
Kaitlin Jackson) contributing eight apiece.
In addition to her nine points, Stauere hauled in eight rebounds and dished out five assists and blocked five shots. Another freshman,
Victoria Vine, pulled in a team-leading 10 rebounds to lead the Tritons' effort on the glass.
The Tritons made six of their first eight shots from the field and connected on 56 percent of their field-goal attempts in the opening half. EC accounted for seven of the team's 11 three-point makes in the second half.
Thomas netted nine of the team's first 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers and four free throws, while junior guard
Kayla Bowlin capped a momentum-shifting 9-0 run early with a pair of free throws. Eckerd broke the press early from PBA, manufacturing a pair of point-blank layups from Vente underneath on the back end.
Vente was 6-for-8 en route to 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the first half alone while the defense clamped down to hold the Sailfish to shoot just a shade over 25 percent from the field.
Palm Beach Atlantic was held off the scoreboard for a five-minute stretch as the Tritons' edge was extended with efficient shooting.
Temple drained the team's fourth trifecta in the first half to give EC a 20-point cushion before the break. She hit another three later on and handed out the same number of assists.
Thomas hit her third trey out of the break and Jackson, making her season debut after recovering from an injury, provided an instant spark in a reserve role with a putback and another three early in the second half.
Eckerd will return to its home floor on Saturday for the team's season welcoming at the McArthur Center in a non-conference clash against Flagler College. Tip-off between the Tritons and Saints is scheduled for 2 p.m.
