KISSIMMEE, Fla. – An inspired effort helped the eighth-seeded Eckerd College women's basketball team take No. 3 Nova Southeastern University down to the wire, eventually bowing out of the Sunshine State Conference Championship on Thursday night in Silver Spurs Arena, 75-68.
Junior forward
Ivana Grbic piled up a game-high 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, junior guard
Kayla Bowlin produced 19 points and four assists while senior
Amy Buccilla wrote the final chapter in her four-year run with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals.
The Sharks (26-4 overall) advanced to Saturday's second-round game at 7:30 p.m. against No. 2 seed Rollins College, who eliminated No. 9 Florida Southern College earlier in the afternoon.
Eckerd's 2013-14 season officially came to a close with an 11-16 overall record despite 10 ties and nine different lead changes in a back-and-forth affair.
Early defensive pressure from Eckerd's zone scheme hindered the execution for NSU, who was ranked fourth nationally in both regular-season meetings and 10th in tonight's postseason matchup.
The Tritons generated nine steals stemming from a total 13 forced turnovers in the first half and consistently made their way to the basket for layups in transition on the other end.
Grbic had a pair of three-point opportunities early on and netted 10 points by halftime with Bowlin as both teams shot a crisp 48 percent from the field.
Bowlin scored six consecutive points in a first-half spell to help Eckerd lead by six and carry a one-point lead into the locker room, 35-34.
The Sharks were able to stay within range with the help of the three-point field goal. NSU's Taylor Buie hit two shots from long range quickly as the Tritons started out 1-of-9 from the floor in the final period to open up a seven-point lead.
But Grbic was aggressive taking it to the rim as the Tritons took a one-point lead, 45-44. She made three layups on the drive, including a nifty behind-the-back dribble in the paint.
Grbic scored her 19th and 20th points at the charity stripe following a block on the other end of the floor that gave EC a 53-52 lead, just the team's second advantage in the final period.
After Buccilla knotted the game up at 58-58 with two free throws with 5:47 on the clock, the momentum slowly turned the other way.
An airballed three-point basket by Danielle Robinson that would have given EC possession resulted in a made three off the ensuing inbounds play by Amanda Burakoski. Burakoski then scored five straight points for her team in the midst of a 9-4 run and the Sharks made enough free throws down the stretch to move on.
