ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College men's basketball team finished off the EC Thanksgiving Classic with a win over Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) University by methodically pulling away in the second half
on Saturday night, 69-59.
The Tritons (4-2, 0-0 SSC) won their fourth straight contest and concluded the weekend 2-0 after picking up a win over the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon Friday night.
Armstrong Atlantic State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and would hold onto the edge until the final minute of the first half. The Pirates (3-4, 0-0 PBC) fell victim to the University of Tampa in their first tournament game, also
on Friday.
With just 57 seconds remaining in the half, Eckerd took advantage of a Pirates' turnover near midcourt. Sophomore
Jerrick Stevenson was credited with the steal and slammed a dunk on a fast break to tie the game at 29.
After two lead changes and two ties in the early minutes of the second half, Eckerd secured the lead, 34-33, on a made free-throw from sophomore
Ray Darnell, and it would hold on to stay ahead for the remainder of the game as both teams battled foul trouble.
With just over seven minutes left in the game, senior
Josh Snodgrass knocked in a jump shot to give Eckerd its largest lead of the night, 57-43.
Stevenson led the Tritons in scoring with 19 points and he added a team-high six rebounds.
Snodgrass also added double-digit points with 17. The Gainesville native also banked a team-high four assists.
Darnell closed out the Tritons' scorers in double-digits, adding a season-high 14 points for the third time this year as he imposed his will inside.
The Tritons return to play on Saturday, Dec. 7, as they travel to Palm Beach Atlantic University for a game scheduled at
2 p.m. EST in West Palm Beach.
