BASKETBALL GAMEDAY: Tritons Head to Palm Beach Atlantic, Look to Extend Winning Streaks

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd basketball teams take a pair of extended winning streaks on the road as the Tritons visit Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday.
 

Eckerd (10-2, 4-0 SSC) at Palm Beach Atlantic (5-7, 1-4 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, January 4 | 5:30 PM
WHERE	Rubin Arena; West Palm Beach, Fla.
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	PBA 71, Eckerd 64 (1/23/16)

ABOUT THE SAILFISH: Palm Beach Atlantic enters the afternoon with a record of 5-7 on the season after picking up its first SSC win on Friday with an 86-80 overtime victory over Saint Leo on the road.  Hannah Grim (24 points) and Ayanna Holmes (16 points, 20 rebounds) both had huge performances in the game.  Holmes leads the Sailfish in scoring with 15.2 points per game while Grim averages 12.9.  Holmes and Grim were both key factors last year in PBA's 71-64 win at Eckerd, combining for 35 points.

SETTING RECORDS: The Triton women set two new records over the last few days.  On Friday, Eckerd established a new program mark for consecutive wins with its eighth in a row in a 77-62 defeat of Flagler (Fla.) College.  The win broke the previous record of seven in a row set in 2014-15.  Then, on Tuesday, the Tritons received the first-ever national ranking in program history coming in at No. 15 in the D2SIDA Media Poll.

DOMINATING DEFENSE: Eckerd boasts one of the best defenses in not only the SSC but also in Division II.  The Tritons rank second in the conference and 26th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 55.4 points per game.  Combined with an efficient offense, the team's defensive prowess has helped EC rank 10th in the nation in scoring margin (19.8).
 

Eckerd (10-2, 3-1 SSC) at Palm Beach Atlantic (7-5, 3-2 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, January 4 | 7:30 PM
WHERE	Rubin Arena; West Palm Beach, Fla.
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	Eckerd 79, PBA 67 (1/23/16)

ABOUT THE SAILFISH: PBA is coming off a thrilling 78-77 road win over Saint Leo on Friday after Michael Stones drove the length of the floor for a game-winning layup.  Still provisional members of the conference, the Sailfish have held their own against SSC competition this year with a 3-2 record.  The team boasts a balanced offense with four players averaging in double figures, led by De'Ondre Jackson's 17.0 points per game.

LOOKING FOR TEN: Eckerd enters tonight's game looking for its 10th consecutive win; if the Tritons do earn the victory, it will mark the second straight season in which EC has won 10 straight contests.  Last year, the Tritons won 16 games in a row to set a new program record.

BACK IN THE TOP 25: Eckerd's nine-game winning streak has helped the team move back into the D2SIDA National Rankings for the first time this season, coming in at No. 21 in the final poll of 2016.  The Tritons reached as high as No. 6 and were ranked in 10 of the season's 15 polls during the 2015-16 season.