Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd College men's basketball won its sixth straight game of the season on Saturday night, but had to work to get there.
The Tritons held off a late push by Claflin (S.C.) University to cap the annual Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic with a 71-62 win in the McArthur Center, matching the program's longest winning streak since the 2012-13 season in the process.
Eckerd (6-1) led for the majority of the game, going ahead with 13:24 left in the first half and never surrendering the lead from that point forward although the Panthers didn't make it easy.
The Tritons never could quite pull away despite leading by as many as 14 in the first half. Claflin cut the lead to nine at halftime and always seemed to have an answer in the second half every time it looked like Eckerd might put the game out of reach.
The Panthers made things even more uncomfortable when they pulled back within four points at the 4:45 mark, cutting into what was an 11-point Eckerd lead four minutes earlier.
The next three possessions had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.
The first saw
Jerrick Stevenson hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock ran down to push the lead back to seven.
Obi Kyei came up big on CU's next possession, rejecting a dunk attempt by Patrell Rogers. Stevenson then found
Trevon Young in the paint for a layup to make it a 65-56 lead with 3:43 to play.
Young followed with a putback off an offensive rebound, then found Stevenson slashing to the basket for a layup to effectively end the Panthers' chances of a comeback.
EC head coach
Tom Ryan was pleased with the way his team responded down the stretch, but wants to see that sort of intensity carried throughout the whole game.
"[Claflin] raised their aggression and intensity, and we didn't match it for a while," he said. "By the time we woke up, we matched it and were able to close out the game. We have to learn how to keep it there the whole time, not just when it gets to be a four-point game."
Kevin Walsh led Eckerd with 15 points including four 3-pointers.
E.J. Moody had 14 points while Stevenson added 13 along with a team-high four assists and four steals. Rogers led all scorers with 24 points.
The Tritons return to the floor on Wednesday, December 2, hosting Florida Tech at 7:30 PM in Sunshine State Conference play.
