DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - After a convincing win in the conference quarterfinals, the Eckerd men's basketball team aims to advance to the conference championship game for the first time since 2011 when the Tritons face Lynn University at 2:30 PM.
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SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS: Lynn struggled during the regular season, finishing with a 12-14 overall record and 5-11 mark in conference play. That's not to say the Knights aren't a dangerous team, however, as evidenced by their upset of Rollins on Wednesday. One of the team's differences late in the season was defense, according to Eckerd's
Tom Ryan, so expect to see an aggressive and smothering style on Saturday. On the offensive end, Fred Landers is Lynn's go-to player averaging 19.8 points per game. LU is not a particularly efficient 3-point shooting team (30.6 percent) but uses players like Landers to get shots inside the paint,
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Sixth-seeded Lynn got 32 points from Ben Berry, pulling off an upset of regular season co-champion Rollins on the road, 85-72, despite shooting 33.3 percent from the floor. A 32-for-39 performance from the foul line helped make up the difference.
Eckerd was dominant in a 95-70 win over Florida Tech on Wednesday night, placing six players in double figures led by 17 from Drushuan McLaurn, who made his first seven shots from the floor. The Tritons shot 53.8 percent while holding FIT to 35.6 percent from the floor.
REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Eckerd won both contests in the regular season, primarily with defense, defeating the Knights at home, 70-56, and on the road, 74-70. The Tritons held Lynn's leading scorer, Fred Landers, to a combined 12 points in those two contests. McLaurn proved quite difficult for LU to stop, going 12-of-15 from the field overall against the Knights.
DIAL IT UP: Kevin Walsh has been one of the SSC's best 3-point shooters this season and in the process has been climbing in the Eckerd record books for most 3's made in a season. The junior from Arlington Heights, Illinois, enters the game with 78 3-pointers this season, good for third all-time at EC. He needs two more to tie John Harper for second and is within reach of Steve Berg's record of 94.
23 AND COUNTING: Eckerd's win over Florida Tech on Wednesday was the 23rd of the season, which is now the third-highest number of wins in a season in program history. Only two teams have won more games - the 2002-03 squad which won 25 and the 2006-07 squad which holds the program record of 27.
CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES: Eckerd is looking to gain a spot in the SSC Conference Championship game for the seventh time and the first since 2011. Lynn is looking to make its third appearance and first since 2005 when it won its only title defeating Eckerd in the championship.
