ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A slow start with uncharacteristic shooting struggles plagued the Eckerd College men's basketball team as it fell to Florida Tech on Saturday afternoon, 61-58, at the McArthur Center.
Eckerd (15-11, 7-7 SSC) entered today's contest in fifth place in the Sunshine State Conference standings, while Florida Tech (16-10, 5-9 SSC) sat in eighth.
The Tritons have two key conference games against Saint Leo University and Lynn University remaining in the regular season that will determine where they sit in the middle of the pack heading into the SSC Championship.
With the score tied at 58 and two seconds left on the clock, Florida Tech junior Chris Carter hit a fadeaway jumper to bring home a win for the Panthers.
"Our whole season has always been when we defend, our offense blossoms," EC head coach
Tom Ryan said. "When we defend, we win games, but when people stay close in a game, they can steal it with a big shot like that [Carter's]."
Eckerd began the game 0-for-6 from the field as Florida Tech built an early 4-0 lead. A jumper from senior
Josh Snodgrass ended the streak just over four minutes into the half, but the Tritons would not be able to overcome the early deficit despite a second-half push.
At the half Eckerd trailed 29-25, but they were able to string together a 5-0 run courtesy of five free throws from Snodgrass to tie the game at 37 with 11:51 left on the clock.
Florida Tech took its largest lead of the second half, 55-50, with 1:45 remaining on two made free throws from Chris Carter, but a three-pointer from senior
Alex Bodney on the next possession brought the Tritons within two, 55-53.
With just 19 seconds left in the game, sophomore
E.J. Moody hit a clutch trey from the right corner assisted from Snodgrass to tie the game at 58.
Florida Tech used its final timeout to strategize its final play, and with just two seconds left, Carter hit the game winner.
Carter led both teams in scoring on the night with 21 points and also added six rebounds and five assists.
Snodgrass compiled his ninth-straight game scoring in double figures with 19 points, while sophomore
Jerrick Stevenson added 11 points and junior
Malcolm Brunner Jr. fell two points shy of a double-double with 12 boards and eight points.
Eckerd will play its final home game next Wednesday, Feb. 26, against Saint Leo University as the Tritons celebrate their Senior Night.
The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. EST. Live stats and video will be available on
www.EckerdTritons.com.
