Tritons Rally but Fall Short in Loss at Florida Southern

Box Score LAKELAND, Fla. - Going on the road in Sunshine State Conference play rarely results in an easy game.

That proved to be the case on Saturday night for the Eckerd men's basketball team as the Tritons dropped their first road game of the year falling at Florida Southern, 87-79.

A 15-3 FSC run to open the second half played a big role in the outcome of the game, expanding a one-point halftime lead to a 50-37 advantage with 15:59 to play.  The Mocs' lead later grew to 17 after a Jarel Spellman basket with 11:49 left.

However, the Tritons (12-4, 5-3 SSC) slowly began to chip away at the deficit, getting to the basket to draw fouls and convert layups.  Eckerd eventually pulled back within three at the 4:33 mark following a basket in the paint by Trevon Young, then got the ball back after FSC missed a 3-pointer.

But the Tritons turned the ball over, then missed their next three shots - including a 3-pointer from Young that spun around the rim twice before falling off the cylinder - and Florida Southern extended its lead back to seven.

Eckerd had one more chance to tighten the game with just over a minute left after a Drushaun McLaurn layup and a steal by Marco Behori, but missed on another 3-point attempt.  FSC (7-10, 5-4 SSC) grabbed the rebound and scored on its final five possessions to secure the win.

The Tritons led by as many as seven points in the first half and appeared primed to create some separation before the break after a Young free throw with 5:32 on the clock, but Michael Volovic scored eight straight points as the Mocs took a narrow 35-34 lead into halftime.

Volovic's hot hand carried over to his teammates to start the second half, as FSC made six of its first eight shots as part of the 15-3 run.

With his game-high 26 point performance, McLaurn became the first Triton to post four consecutive 20-point games since Darrien Mack in 2012-13.  Young added 15 and Keshawn Ingram netted 12 off the bench.

Six Moccasins scored in double figures in the win.  FSC got big all-around performances from Jack Rauch, who recorded the third triple-double in program history (14 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists), and Spellman, who nearly posted a triple-double (11 points, 9 rebounds, 8 blocks).

The loss sends Eckerd into a three-way tie for second place in the SSC standings with Tampa and Lynn, two games behind Barry.

The Tritons return to the floor on Wednesday, hosting Nova Southeastern at 7:30 PM.