ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd women's basketball team utilized 13 3-pointers for a commanding 36-point win over Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) University on Friday afternoon in the McArthur Center.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 89, Johnson C. Smith 53
Records: Eckerd 4-1, Johnson C. Smith 3-1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Eckerd started out with an aggressive offense from the opening tip and never looked back, using an 8-0 run to begin the game initialized by a Chelsea Johnson 3-pointer. Eckerd then followed with an 11-0 run midway through the quarter capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Johnson on the way to a 24-10 lead.
- JCSU began the second quarter with a quicker offense, pulling within seven points of the Tritons with 7:52 left in the quarter. That, however, was the closest that Eckerd would let the Golden Bulls get. After a timeout, the Tritons used an 11-1 run midway through the second period to extend their lead by 17 points and later headed into halftime with a 46-33 lead.
- The Eckerd defense played a huge role in extending the team's lead in the second half, holding the Golden Bulls to just five points in the third quarter and 20 points in the final 20 minutes. The Tritons continued their effectiveness behind the arc in the third quarter with five 3-pointers. Yarden Danan sunk back-to-back 3's just before the midway point of the quarter and Dallas Dickerson later drained back-to-back 3-pointers to end the quarter.
- Eckerd's offense didn't slow down in the fourth quarter with the team's bench playing the majority of the minutes. The quarter was highlighted by another 3-pointer, this time by Haeli Howard at the 7:00-minute mark. Maja Jurlina gave Eckerd its largest lead of the night at 38 points, sinking two free throws with 20 seconds left before the Tritons closed the game with an 89-53 win.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Eckerd had five players reach double-digits in scoring. Johnson led all scorers with a career-high 18 points while Kacie Juday (12), Danan (12), Zoe Richards (11) and Howard (10) also got into double figures.
- Juday and Richards led Eckerd on the boards each with five rebounds.
- Eckerd tied its season high with 13 3-pointers tonight, matching the previous mark set on November 11 against Christian Brothers. Johnson and Danan led Eckerd with four 3-pointers made apiece.
- Eckerd shot 54.4 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from behind the arc.
- The defense also played an important part for Eckerd, forcing 21 turnovers and scoring 32 points off those turnovers.
QUOTABLE
"We challenged our team to rebound and defend today and I thought we did a nice job of both overall. We continued to move the ball and stay on the attack, and it paid off with five players scoring double figures. Now the challenge is to keep that energy and momentum going into tomorrow's game." - Eckerd head coach
Paul Honsinger
UP NEXT
Eckerd faces a quick turnaround as they play the University of Mount Olive (N.C.) tomorrow at 3:00 PM to conclude the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic. UMO lost to Florida Southern in the opening game of the tournament on Friday.
