ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After coming within one shot of upsetting No. 11/7 Nova Southeastern on Wednesday, the Eckerd women's basketball team faces another nationally-ranked opponent on Saturday when the Tritons pay a visit to No. 21 Florida Southern for a 5:30 PM tip-off.
WHAT: Eckerd Tritons (7-4, 3-2 SSC) vs. No. 21 Florida Southern Moccasins (13-1, 4-1 SSC)
WHERE: Jenkins Field House; Lakeland, Fla.
WATCH: Live Stats |
Live VideoABOUT THE MOCCASINS- Off to a 13-1 start to the season, Florida Southern has risen to No. 21 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and is just outside the top 25 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. The team's only loss this season came at home to Florida Tech on December 5 by the score of 73-61. Since then, the Mocs have won five straight.
- Three players average in double figures led by Mariah Harris, who scores 13.4 points per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor. Jensen Blassage averages 12.4 points per game while Sydni Payne contributes 11.1 points per game.
- The Mocs rank second in the conference and 19th in Division II in field goal percentage at 45.6 percent. They have shot better than 50 percent in a game five times this season, but haven't cracked the 50-percent mark since December 2.
- Florida Southern also shoots the ball quite well from 3-point range, knocking down 37.1 percent, although their 178 attempts are next-to-last in conference.
ABOUT THE TRITONS- After Eckerd's one-point loss to Nova Southeastern on Wednesday, three of the team's four losses have come by four points or fewer. Two of those losses were on the road.
- Junior guard
Victoria Vine scored a career-high 24 points on Wednesday while also grabbing seven rebounds. She had a hand in all 13 of the Tritons' points in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 and assisting on a 3-pointer by
Sarah Ammons.
- Eckerd continues to rank among the top teams in Division II in defense, allowing an average of 56.7 points per game. The number ranks first in conference and 25th in the nation. The Tritons also rank 15th in D-II in defensive field goal percentage, limiting opponents to 33.9 percent from the floor.
- Junior
Ashley Folsom raised her season scoring average into double figures after a 15-point performance on Wednesday. The Southern Miss transfer averages 10.4 points per game, joining Vine (11.3) and
Margaret Sundberg (11.2) as Eckerd's trio of double-digit scorers.
LOOKING BACKEckerd swept Florida Southern last year during regular season play, then handed the Mocs a third loss in the first round of the conference tournament. The Tritons have won seven in a row in the series with FSC's last win coming on February 8, 2012.
