ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- The Eckerd women's basketball team knocked down 11 3-pointers to open the season with an impressive 22-point win over West Alabama at the McArthur Center on Friday night at the SSC-GSC Challenge.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 68, West Alabama 46
Records: Eckerd 1-0; West Alabama (0-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game took a slow start as neither team scored until over two minutes had passed from the clock. A Kacie Juday free throw ended the drought and from there, Eckerd took control maintaining the lead for the entirety of the game. Eckerd overcame a cold shooting start by using aggressive defense, grabbing four steals in the remainder of the quarter and held an 11-6 lead to begin the second quarter.
- Eckerd continued to control the tempo as the second quarter began, using an 11-4 run to extend the lead into double digits. Yarden Danan and Brooke Juday knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers during the stretch. The Tritons continued their barrage from the outside as Abby Whiteye drained another 3-pointer with 1:31 left in the half to put the Tritons up by 17. UWA scored the final four points of the half to cut the Eckerd lead to 33-20 at the break.
- Brooke Juday sunk back-to-back 3's to open the third quarter and Kacie Juday followed with another as Eckerd maintained a hot hand from the perimeter. A highlight-reel behind-the-back pass from Haeli Howard to Kacie Juday grew EC's lead to 19 with 2:38 left in the period. The Tigers, however, closed the quarter on a 10-4 run, again pulling back within 13.
- The Tritons essentially closed the door early in the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run as Kacie Juday scored on back-to-back layups and Zoe Richards knocked down a jumper to again give Eckerd a 19-point lead. Ada Yalcin drained a three with 2:45 in the game, putting Eckerd up by 21, and Richards added another layup with under a minute to go giving Eckerd its largest lead of the night at 23 points.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Kacie Juday led all scorers with 15 points, while Brooke Juday (12 points) and Richards (11 points) also reached double-figures. All of Brooke Juday's points came on a quartet of 3-pointers.
- Kacie Juday led Eckerd with six rebounds while Richards grabbed five.
- Eckerd shot .387 from the floor and .306 from behind the arc, while holding the Tigers scoreless from the three-point line.
- The Triton defense forced 26 Tiger turnovers, the most created by Eckerd since making Texas A&M International cough the ball up 30 times on November 25, 2016. Kacie Juday had five steals while Ada Yalcin had four of the Tritons' 14 as a team.
- The Tritons are now 28-5 in their last 33 games.
QUOTABLE
"I was pleased with our defensive effort tonight. We were disruptive and managed to force 26 turnovers. We also moved the ball well and remained unselfish. Overall, I thought we had a balanced attack." - EC head coach Paul Honsinger
UP NEXT
Eckerd has a quick turnaround as the Tritons continue action in the SSC-GSC Crossover playing Christian Brothers (Tenn.) on Saturday at 3:00 PM. The Buccaneers lost to Embry-Riddle in Friday's first game in the McArthur Center, 68-58.
