Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The No. 12/8 Eckerd College men's basketball team's historic win streak was threatened by an aggressive Nova Southeastern squad Wednesday night, but the Tritons managed to pull away in the second half for their 13th consecutive win, 70-60.
The Sunshine State Conference rivals exchanged the lead 10 times throughout the contest and entered the halftime intermission at an even 34-34. The contest would remain close until a 16-4 run midway through the second half gave the Tritons their largest lead of the game at 57-44 with 8:43 remaining.
NSU (5-7, 1-3 SSC) used a trapping 2-3 zone to force the Tritons into heavily-contested shots in the paint while holding EC (13-1, 5-0 SSC) to just 38.3 percent from the field. The aggressive defense did lead to 33 trips to the free throw line, but the Tritons only converted on 14 of those attempts.
Triton head coach
Tom Ryan credited the aggressive defense by the Sharks as a major factor in the tightness of the contest.
"We've talked about it all year," he said. "We're going to have those nights, and their defense was a big reason for our poor shooting tonight."
Ryan understands his team is unable to be perfect every night, especially in a highly-competitive conference, but he has been pleased with how his team has been able to adapt in various situations.
"If you play defense, it's going to give you a chance in every game," he said. "We talk about if you defend, rebound, and don't commit turnovers you'll have a chance to win."
The Tritons did just that. Their eight turnovers on the night were the second fewest on the season, bested only by a seven turnover outing against UPR-Bayamon on November 27. Defensively, Eckerd forced 15 turnovers while holding the Sharks to 40.4 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from 3-point range. Although the Tritons were narrowly out-rebounded 17-15 in the first half, a 25-17 second-half advantage helped propel the Tritons to victory. Twelve of the 25 second-half rebounds were offensive, leading to 12 second-chance points.
Going forward, Ryan believes his team will be prepared for the ensuing challenges that the SSC will provide while having a target on their back.
"Our league is a battle every night. You have to be ready every night and since we've won a few games, they're coming after us," he said. "This is a place that the guys have to step up and be ready for that every single night."
NSU's Chris Page led all scorers with 22 points.
Jerrick Stevenson led the Tritons with 14 points while pulling down six rebounds and adding a pair of assists.
Obi Kyei's 10 points and 10 rebounds was good enough for a double-double.
Trevon Young provided 12 points and four assists while narrowly missing out on a double-double of his own with nine rebounds.
E.J. Moody rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points and four assists.
Eckerd returns to action on Saturday, January 9, when the team travels to challenge the defending national champion Florida Southern Moccasins in an SSC matchup. The game is set to tip off at 7:30 PM following the women's contest.
