ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After closing Wednesday night with 14 unanswered points in a win over Embry-Riddle, the Eckerd women's basketball team looks to keep that momentum rolling as the Tritons host Palm Beach Atlantic at the McArthur Center at 2:00 PM.
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ABOUT THE SAILFISH- After a slow start to the season, Palm Beach Atlantic seems to be hitting its stride as the Sailfish enter the day on a four-game winning streak, all over Sunshine State Conference teams. Today will be the final game of a three-game road swing in which PBA scored victories at Rollins (62-48) and Lynn (60-53).
- During the streak, PBA has been particularly good on defense in holding opponents to an average of 52.8 points per game and 33.5 percent shooting from the field. The Sailfish have also forced an average of 17 turnovers per game.
- Janelle Cannon is a new addition to the Sailfish roster since the first meeting between Eckerd and PBA, and she has been an impact player from her first outing. The 5-foot-9 senior guard averages 15.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and is coming off a 19-point, 12-rebound performance against Lynn.
- In addition to Cannon, Palm Beach Atlantic head coach Carlos Palacio can look to three other players for consistent scoring. Hannah Grim (13.1 ppg), Ayanna Holmes (10.7 ppg) and Nina Krstic (10.2 ppg) all average in double-figures. Holmes and Krstic are also solid rebounders, averaging 7.8 and 7.1 per game respectively to help PBA to a plus-3.1 rebounding margin on the season.
ABOUT THE TRITONS- Eckerd saw an 11-point fourth-quarter lead disappear on Wednesday at Embry-Riddle, but then closed the game on a 14-0 run to take a 70-58 win.
Margaret Sundberg broke out of a recent shooting slump with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.
Chelsea Johnson came off the bench to add 14 while
Victoria Vine scored nine of her 14 points in the fourth quarter.
- The Tritons continue to rely on defense as a strength, entering the weekend ranking 40th in NCAA Division II in opponent field goal percentage (35.8 percent) and 52nd in scoring defense (59.6 points per game).
- Johnson, a freshman, has been giving EC a consistent spark off the bench in recent games. The Orlando native is averaging 9.0 points per game since returning from injury on December 17. She leads the team in field goal percentage, knocking down 47.6 percent of her shots and shoots 40.0 percent from 3-point range.
- Wednesday's game marked the first time since December 12 that the Tritons shot under 40 percent in a game. Eckerd shot 38.5 percent from the field, but went 22-of-26 from the free throw line to help seal the win. The 22 free throws made is the second-highest this season for EC.
LOOKING BACKThe Tritons extended their winning streak in the series with Palm Beach Atlantic to 14 with a 64-56 overtime win on November 21 in West Palm Beach. Eckerd scored the final 10 points of the game to pick up the win after PBA missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation.
Mariam Hannoun scored a career-high 14 points while
Ashley Folsom and
Elisabeth Giegerich each had 13.
