Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - One of the things that Eckerd women's basketball head coach
Paul Honsinger stresses to his team is being able to follow a loss with a win.
For the third time this season his Tritons did just that, knocking down a season-best 11 3-pointers on the way to an 80-72 victory over Albany State (Ga.) on Thursday night in the McArthur Center.
Eckerd (6-3) used a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter to build a 19-point lead, then held off a late push by the Golden Rams.
The Tritons relied heavily on the 3-pointer in the first half, draining five in the second quarter alone to help build a 40-30 lead at the break.
"They zoned us for the first half," Honsinger said. "They tested our shooting and we answered that call."
The lead stayed in the range of nine to 13 points until the 4:30 mark of the third quarter, when a layup by
Margaret Sundberg kicked off a run of 10 unanswered points.
"[ASU] went man-to-man and we executed by getting to the basket," said Honsinger. "We made some good cuts and had some very high percentage finishes around the basket. That's the best way to make a run."
That stretch turned out to be important later on, as the Golden Rams ramped up the defensive pressure and pulled back within eight points with 2:20 to play.
Victoria Vine answered with a traditional 3-point play on EC's next possession, and ASU never threatened the rest of the way.
The Tritons put four players in double-figures, led by a career-high 19 points by Vine. Sundberg added 15 while
Anna Deegan and
Chelsea Johnson both had 14. It was Johnson's first game back since mid-November after she was sidelined with an injury.
"It was great to have Chelsea back on the floor and see her make the most of it," Honsinger said.
Eckerd shot 50.0 percent from the field and made 11-of-19 from 3-point range, both season-highs for the Tritons.
EC finishes off its pre-holiday schedule on Saturday with a visit to Paine (Ga.) College at 2:00 PM.
