Box Score
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Junior forward
Malcolm Brunner Jr. scored the game-winning layup with less than a second left in regulation to drive the Eckerd College men's basketball team past Barry University, 85-83,
on Saturday afternoon.
With the score tied at 83 and just seven seconds remaining in the game, senior
Josh Snodgrass displayed his playmaking ability and brought the ball down the court to the right wing.
Snodgrass drove into the middle of the lane with a spin move and passed the ball off to Brunner Jr., who netted the basket with 0.6 seconds left on the game clock.
Eckerd (14-10, 6-6 SSC) avenged an earlier defeat in the regular-season series after falling to the Buccaneers (16-6, 6-6 SSC) in the first meeting of the season.
With each win down the stretch, EC continues enhance its chances for more favorable seeding in the upcoming Sunshine State Conference Championship in Kissimmee and potentially the program's 12th appearance in the NCAA Championship South Regional.
After holding the lead for more than half of the first half of play, a three-pointer from Barry's Juan Ferrales pushed the home team ahead, 15-14, and Barry would extend its lead to six by the end of the half.
The Buccaneers shot almost 80 percent from the field in the first half (20-of-25) and those numbers would understandably balance out as the game progressed. The Tritons were more consistent throughout both halves, including a 63.6 shooting exhibition in the final period.
The Buccaneers maintained their lead throughout the second half until a layup from sophomore
Ray Darnell tied the game at 75 with
6:03 on the clock.
In the final six minutes, both teams kept the score within one possession and tied it on five occasions.
Eckerd shot a season-high 50 percent from behind the arc, led by sophomore
E.J. Moody who tallied a season-high 19 points and five treys.
Senior
Alex Bodney (15), sophomore
Jerrick Stevenson (15) and Snodgrass (16) all added double-digit scoring.
Barry's Yunio Barrueta led all scorers with 21 points.
The Tritons will travel to the University of Tampa on
Wednesday, Feb. 19, for a game scheduled to begin at
7:30 p.m. EST from the Martinez Center.
