ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College men's basketball team put together an impressive second-half comeback, but it wasn't quite enough to sink visiting Barry University in a conference game on Saturday in the McArthur Center, 68-65.
The Tritons (9-7, 2-3 SSC) trailed the Buccaneers (11-3, 2-3 SSC) by as many as seven through the first half and remained within striking distance the rest of the way. Three minutes into the second half, a layup by sophomore
Jerrick Stevenson tied the game at 38.
The Tritons faced a six-point deficit after Barry broke a 56-56 tie with 4:28 left to play when Arie Williams canned a three and leading scorer Juan Ferrales converted a three-point play in transition.
Entering the game, Ferrales averaged 17.2 points per game and ranked third in the Sunshine State Conference in three-point shots, averaging 3.1 per game. The Tritons held him to just nine points and two treys on the night.
But Eckerd fought from behind once again.
A steal from sophomore
Ray Darnell gave the Tritons a stop and sophomore
E.J. Moody was fouled on the play and sent to the line in the double bonus. Moody sank both free throws to complete an 8-2 run by the Tritons as they claimed the lead, 65-64, with just 31.9 seconds remaining.
However, Eckerd's lead was temporary as junior Savad Garner laid in a layup with only 13 seconds left in the game. To cement the win, Garner forced a turnover, and freshman Adrian Gonzalez netted another layup in the open court with two seconds on the clock.
A last-second desperation three by Stevenson heaved past half court was nearly banked in during a bid to force an overtime session as the final horn sounded.
There were eight lead changes and seven ties in the game.
Darnell scored a career-high 19 points while shooting 8-of-11 from the field and banked four rebounds while controlling the paint, while Stevenson added 13 points.
Senior
Alex Bodney also contributed 13 points to round up the Tritons in double-digit scoring, and junior
Malcolm Brunner Jr. tallied 10 rebounds.
Eckerd is back on the road next Wednesday as it faces Saint Leo University at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Bowman Center.
