MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY: Rollins at #16/15 Eckerd

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's basketball squad aims to hang on to its one-game lead in the Sunshine State Conference standings tonight as the Tritons host Rollins College at 7:30 PM.
 

Rollins (14-6, 6-3 SSC) at #16/15 Eckerd (18-3, 9-1 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, February 3 | 7:30 PM
WHERE	McArthur Center
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	Eckerd 67, Rollins 62 (12/12/15)

ABOUT THE TARS
- Rollins is still very much in the thick of the hunt for a conference title, and a win tonight at Eckerd would go a long way in helping the team get there.  The Tars sit 2.5 games behind the Tritons entering tonight's game.  They hold a one-game lead over Saint Leo for third place.
- The Tars seem to be peaking at the right time having won four of their last five contests.  Their last two wins have been nail-biters, taking a 59-58 victory at Tampa and a 97-93 win over Embry-Riddle at home last week.
- Rollins is one of the best defensive teams in the conference, ranking only behind Eckerd in scoring defense (74.4 points per game) and in field goal percentage defense (42.4 percent).  The Tars are also the most efficient shooting team in the SSC and the nation, making 49.6 percent of their shots from the floor (1st SSC, 17th nationally) and 79.3 percent from the free throw line (1st SSC, 5th nationally).
- Three Tars average in double figures led by Jeff Merton at 15.4 points per game.  Sharif Almulla averages 12.8 points per game while Sam Philpott comes off the bench to average 10.9 points per game.

ABOUT THE TRITONS
- Eckerd suffered its first conference loss of the season last week but bounced back with a 69-56 win over Florida Tech on Saturday.  The Tritons are one game ahead of Barry and 2.5 games ahead of Rollins.
- Freshman Drushuan McLaurn is now the team's leading scorer, coming off the bench to average 12.4 points per game.  McLaurn also leads the team in field goal percentage, making 57.0 percent of his attempts.  Jerrick Stevenson (12.1 ppg), Kevin Walsh (11.0 ppg) and Trevon Young (10.2 ppg) also average in double figures for Eckerd.
- The Tritons continue to lead the conference in several key statistical categories including scoring defense (68.7 ppg), field goal percentage defense (40.4 percent), free throws attempted (580) and rebounding margin (+6.6).
- Jerrick Stevenson enters the night ranking seventh in Eckerd program history with 1,316 career points.  He needs 10 points to jump into fifth place all-time.

LOOKING BACK
Eckerd rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to close out a 67-62 road win over the then-No. 11 Tars on December 12 at Rollins.  Drushuan McLaurn led the charge with a career-high 27 points, 24 of which came in the second half.