ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The first of four important games to finish off regular-season play for Eckerd women's basketball tips off today as the Tritons visit Lynn University for a 2:00 PM start.
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ABOUT THE FIGHTING KNIGHTS- Lynn is coached by former Eckerd standout Julia Huddleston. Huddleston played at Eckerd from 1998-2002 and was the female recipient of the Jim Harley Award. She ranks ninth in career assists at Eckerd. This is her first season as a head coach after spending several years as an assistant coach in NCAA Division I.
- Though the Knights enter today's game with a 3-18 overall record, the team has been much more competitive than their record might show. Ten of their losses have come by nine points or fewer, including a 77-72 overtime loss to Eckerd in the first contest of the season between the teams. Lynn scored its first conference win earlier this month, beating Saint Leo on the road, 67-58.
- Lynn is led by Charla Nelson-James (11.4 ppg) and Tifani Kerrison (10.8 ppg). Nelson-James missed three games in late January but has scored in double-figures in her last four outings.
- The Knights rank second in the SSC in turnovers created, forcing opponents to cough the ball up an average of 17.9 times per game. Eckerd had 19 turnovers in the January 13 contest with Lynn.
ABOUT THE TRITONS- Eckerd needs to be playing its best basketball of the season beginning tonight as the stretch run of conference play arrives. The Tritons have four conference contests remaining, three of which will be against teams above them in the standings. EC enters the weekend tied with Tampa for fifth place in the conference.
- The Tritons have leaned on the trio of
Ashley Folsom,
Victoria Vine and
Margaret Sundberg to provide a good share of the team's offense this season. Folsom leads the team averaging 11.4 points per game and is EC's top breakout threat with three outings of 23 points or more. Vine (11.0 ppg) has been steady throughout conference play while Sundberg (10.7 ppg) began to heat up in late January.
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Kacie Juday continues to be one of the top rebounders in conference, ranking third with 7.1 rebounds per game. She's been particularly good on the defensive end, where she leads the SSC with 5.1 defensive boards per contest.
- Eckerd will look to utilize defense for success as the regular season winds down. The Tritons rank 57th in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (60.2 ppg) and 51st in opponent field goal percentage (36.7 percent).
LOOKING BACKEckerd held off an upset-minded Lynn squad on January 13 in St. Petersburg for a 77-72 overtime win over the Knights.Â
Ashley Folsom scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor. Lynn forced overtime on a tip-in at the buzzer of regulation by Bria Huffman.
