Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd women's basketball team returned to its winning ways Wednesday night with a crucial Sunshine State Conference victory over Nova Southeastern University.
The Tritons (14-3, 8-1 SSC) battled to a 64-52 win at the halfway mark in conference play and pulled even with Florida Southern for first place in the SSC standings.
Eckerd made its way onto the board first tonight with a 3-pointer from the team's leading scorer, Victoria Vine. That three-point cushion was the closest the Sharks (10-7, 6-3 SSC) came to closing in on the lead as the Tritons jumped out to another one of their trademark fast starts.
"It was good to see our team get back to our defensive ways," Eckerd head coach Paul Honsinger said. "Our energy was there tonight on both sides of the court."
The Tritons ended the first quarter with a 23-10 lead over the Sharks and added to it in the second quarter, taking a 41-25 lead into halftime.
Vine posted 15 points in the first half alone with nine of those points coming from beyond the arc.
Eckerd went on an 8-0 run towards the end of the third quarter with the help of Ashley Folsom, Chelsea Johnson and Vine, extending the lead to 21 points on a Johnson 3-pointer with 2:55 left in the frame.
The largest lead of the game came after a pair of free throws by Vine in the fourth quarter put the Tritons ahead by 23. The Sharks (10-7, 6-3 SSC) made a late push but it was too little, too late as the Tritons came away with their first win over NSU since 2013.
Vine finished the night with 22 points and four rebounds while Folsom posted 15 points and four steals. Kacie Juday earned her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
"Vicky had another great offensive night and Ashley paced us inside," Honsinger said. "It was a good team win."
Eckerd looks to carry the momentum with them on the road, facing Lynn University Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM, to begin the second half of the SSC schedule.
