Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A big run to start the second half gave the Eckerd College women's basketball team what they needed to pick up win number 21 on the season Wednesday defeating Saint Leo University, 79-55.
The Tritons jumped out to an early 9-5 lead with a three point play from
Rana Thomas. The score moved to 12-9 before Eckerd outscored the Lions 8-2 over the next five minutes to go out in front 20-11.
SLU battled back to make it a two point game at the 6:21 mark. Thomas ended the EC scoring drought with a three pointer to keep it a five point game. After the Lions got within one possession,
Trine Kasemagi made a great spin move to lay the ball in off the glass for two.
That started a 12-4 run to end the half. Just before the buzzer went off,
Ivana Grbic pulled down an offensive rebound and put it back up to send her team into the locker room with a 41-28 lead.
Eckerd came out in the second half on fire. They opened up with an eight minute 18-3 run to take a commanding 58-31 lead. Kasemagi continued to stay perfect behind the three point line hitting her second and third treys of the game.
Victoria Vine sent the McArthur Center crowd into a frenzy knocking down the teams eighth three pointer of the game, giving everyone a free pizza from Domino's.
The large lead allowed several players for the Tritons to see the floor in the second half. Eight different players scored for Eckerd in the 79-55 victory, stretching the teams winning streak to six straight games.
Grbic walked away with her fourth double-double of the season with 14 rebounds and 16 points. Kasemagi shot 75 percent from the floor totaling a team high 19 points. Thomas and
Margaret Sundberg both ended the game with double digit points tallying 15 and 10 respectively.
"As a team we keep moving in the right direction," said Head Coach,
Paul Honsinger. "We came out strong in the second half which helped us a lot. The team has been practicing really well and it is reflecting in our play in games."
Eckerd (21-6, 11-5) moved from seventh to fourth in the latest South Region Rankings released on Wednesday. The Tritons will play their final home game of the season on Saturday against Palm Beach Atlantic (9-16) beginning at 2 p.m. Before the game begins, EC will honor three seniors competing for the last time in the McArthur Center.
