Box Score
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Seth Evans scored nine of his team's 12 points in overtime to push No. 2 seed Florida Southern College over the edge against the third-seeded Eckerd College men's basketball program in a heartbreaking Sunshine State Conference Championship semifinal battle on Saturday night, 85-80.
Evans nailed a pair of three-pointers as the extra session got underway, but EC was still in a single-possession game down three with 12 seconds left on the clock.
FSC's Kevin Capers missed a pair of free throws, but the offensive rebound went in favor for the Mocs as a gripping finish expired for the crowd gathered in Silver Spurs Arena.
The Tritons (20-7 overall) went on a 22-4 run in the second to temporarily erase a nine-point deficit after beginning the contest strong out of the gates, but Florida Southern eventually tied with six seconds left in regulation on the put back try by Capers as he was fouled.
The game had all the making of a prototypical “March Madness” feature presentation. Bodies spilled to the floor, hustle was shown on every possession and leads changed hands multiple times with a chance at SSC supremacy on the line.
Tomorrow's SSC Championship final will include the Mocs (23-5 overall) vs. No. 5 seed Rollins College. Rollins upset top-seeded Saint Leo University in the game prior.
The Tritons eliminated sixth-seeded Nova Southeastern University on Friday in quarterfinal action, 62-48. Last night's top scorer,
Walade Wade (career-high 24), appeared briefly but was sidelined on crutches due to an undisclosed injury.
EC opened the game with a 9-2 run to open the game as First Team All-SSC selection
Darrien Mack and
Alex Bodney found the soft spot in the Florida Southern defense.
Mack began the game a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line as he finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Bodney finished with 22 as he connected on four three-point field goal tries on a 7-of-15 effort overall.
The Mocs opened the second half on a 17-3 run to grab the lead again as a first-half track meet resumed. Eckerd misfired on its first six shots from the field and almost nine minutes elapsed before a field goal attempt dropped in.
Compounding matters further, senior floor general
Woody Taylor picked up his fourth foul and the Mocs attempted to pull away with a nine-point edge at the 12:43 mark.
But the Tritons had a resounding answer in the form of the 22-4 run to take a nine-point lead polished off by a three from Bodney, his third of the game. Bodney continued the momentum with a feed to
Junior McLeod inside and forced FSC's Cameron Vines to shuffle his feet on the other end for a turnover.
Taylor's return past the midway point in the timeline of the second half bolstered the offense as he fed
Junior McLeod inside for a layup to cut the deficit to four.
Taylor then split the defense to make it a two-point game on the next possession and Mack picked the pocket of Lamar McKnight for a steal and a jam to tie things up, 52-52.
Despite the loss and due to a strong South Region ranking of third, EC is positioned to make the field of 64 when the NCAA Division II Championship bracket is announced tomorrow night.
Selection Sunday will begin at 10:30 p.m. EST. All fans and students are invited to join team in the Triton's Pub on campus to discover who they will be playing in the first round of the national tournament.
