Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. – Freshman guard
Annie Armstrong scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, sophomore guard
Taylor Bestry scored 12 of her 16 points from long range and the Eckerd College women's basketball program gradually broke down the University of Tampa on Wednesday, 68-46.
Senior forward
Krystal Charles, a two-time Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week presented by VALIC this season, was one point shy of a double-double, finishing with nine and 10 rebounds.
Junior forward
Liga Vente rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 and sophomore guard
Rana Thomas chipped in nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Tritons (10-10, 6-6 SSC) completed the regular-season sweep against the Spartans (14-7, 4-7 SSC), including a 10-point margin of victory at home back on Jan. 9 when UT was ranked 10th in the nation.
After missing their first six shots of the game, the Tritons ended the brief cold spell with a 13-for-20 effort the rest of the half.
Nearly five minutes elapsed from the opening whistle before the Tritons got on the board.
Bestry scored 13 of her 16 points in the first half and nailed 4-of-5 shots (three from long range) in the opening period as the Tritons locked down on defense. EC forced Tampa out of its element with 4-of-18 shooting woes (22 percent) and seven turnovers.
Armstrong enjoyed another scoring outburst against Tampa after netting a career-high 26 in the previous meeting.
The Tritons put together an 11-0 run, scoring on four consecutive possessions capped by a layup from Thomas inside. She scored five consecutive points as the Tritons started to pull away, including a three-point play.
The Tritons led by as many as 20 in the first half after an Armstrong three in the corner and took a 38-21 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Tritons began the second half by hitting seven of their first nine shots as Armstrong scored 10 of the team's first 12 points. She hit a three in the first possession and dotted the perimeter with several more shots that displayed her pure shooting touch.
Armstrong came into the game as the SSC's leader in three-point percentage at 49 percent and bettered that rate with a 3-for-5 effort beyond the arc. She also is tied for third in the league in field goal percentage and is the second-best free throw shooter behind her teammate Thomas (90 percent).
The offense was operating with precision and the inside-outside looks resulted in a 9-1 run to begin the second half and open up a 25-point lead.
Eckerd shot over 61 percent in the final period and led by 20 or more points the entire duration of the second half.
The Tritons will wrap up the regular-season series on the road at Barry University this weekend in Miami Shores looking for the sweep. A 5:30 p.m. tip-off is scheduled on late Saturday afternoon.
