ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd women's basketball team gets a chance for a tune-up game ahead of its stretch run in conference play when the Tritons host Embry-Riddle (Fla.) tonight at 5:30 PM.
Â
ABOUT THE EAGLES- Embry-Riddle has steadily improved in its first season as a provision member of the Sunshine State Conference picking up wins over Saint Leo and Lynn as well as a season sweep of fellow provisional SSC member Palm Beach Atlantic.
- Sabrina Whiting, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, is the lone Eagle averaging in double figures this season at 15.9 points per game. The Temple Terrace, Florida, native has scored double-digits in 13 straight contests. She scored 15 points in the first meeting with the Tritons this season as part of that streak.
- Defensively, ERAU has proven itself up to the task of competing as the program makes the transfer from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The Eagles allow an average of just 63.3 points per game while holding opponents to 37.5 percent shooting. Whiting leads the team in steals with 46 while Laniere Coleman provides strong interior defense with 45 blocked shots.
ABOUT THE TRITONS- Today marks the final non-conference game for Eckerd in the 2015-16 season. After tonight's game, EC will play three of its last four regular season contests on the road and still has to face three of the SSC's top four teams.
- Eckerd has been getting big performances lately from
Margaret Sundberg and
Ashley Folsom. Sundberg, a senior, scored a career-high 22 points last Wednesday in a win over Rollins. Folsom followed with 24 points on Saturday in a loss at Tampa. Â
- Folsom leads the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game.Â
Victoria Vine averages 11.1 points per game while Sundberg adds 10.8. One of those three has lead Eckerd in scoring in 16 games this season.
-
Kacie Juday has been a big presence for the Tritons on the boards in her first season with the Tritons. The sophomore from Tipton, Indiana, ranks third in the conference with 6.9 rebounds per game.
LOOKING BACKAfter seeing a 11-point lead slip away, the Tritons closed the game on a 14-0 run to pick up a 70-58 road win over Embry-Riddle on January 20 in Daytona Beach. Sundberg led Eckerd with 15 points while Vine and
Chelsea Johnson each added 14.
PLAY 4 KAYTonight is Eckerd's annual "Play 4 Kay" Night. Free admission will be offered to women's cancer survivors and their families. Those who wish to attend the game can RSVP by contacting women's assistant coach
Deandra Schirmer at 727-864-7506 to ensure free entry. The event, spearheaded by the WBCA, is named in honor of legendary North Carolina State head coach Kay Yow, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away on January 24, 2009, after facing her third bout with the disease. The Tritons will wear pink jerseys to help promote the initiative. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Additional donations may be made at the gate.
