Comeback Bid Ends Short for Tritons in Season Opener

Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Eckerd women's basketball team battled back from a 20-point deficit in the first half to take a lead with five minutes to play, but a cold shooting spell in the game's final minutes stopped the comeback in its tracks as the Tritons lost their season opener to West Florida, 66-62, in the Gulf South-Sunshine State Challenge.

A 13-2 third-quarter run began to turn the tide for Eckerd, which trailed by 17 points at the 6:15 mark of the quarter.  A 13-5 run to open the fourth quarter followed, with a 3-pointer by Ada Yalcin giving the Tritons their first lead since scoring the game's opening basket.

Unfortunately for Eckerd, the team went cold following Yalcin's triple, making only one of its final seven shots.

The Argos followed up with four consecutive points by Toni Brewer on their next two possessions to retake the lead for good.

Eckerd certainly had chances late, though, as UWF also had its struggles scoring down the stretch.  In the final two minutes, the Tritons had opportunities to either tie the game or take the lead in a one-possession contest but came up empty.

Still, there are positives for Eckerd and head coach Paul Honsinger to take from the effort.

"We settled in and made an 18-point halftime deficit into a strong comeback to go ahead, but we didn't get the stops we needed down the stretch," he said.  "It was a tough opponent for us and we played a solid first game."

Eckerd found itself behind quickly after Kacie Juday's layup gave EC a 2-0 lead.  UWF responded with a 16-4 run, fueled by three 3-pointers by Katie O'Neal, and led by 13 at the end of the first quarter.  That lead grew to as many as 20 in the second quarter as the Tritons shot just 31 percent from the floor and went 0-of-9 from 3-point range.

The second half, though, was a different story and almost turned into a victory in the team's season opener.

Victoria Vine started her senior season with a 16-point, six-steal performance, scoring 14 in the second half to lead EC's charge.  Ashley Folsom added 12 points.

The Tritons take the court again tomorrow, facing host Valdosta State University at 2:00 PM.