Tritons Ignite Nets in 114-105 Win over Pittsburg State

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Riding the wave of one of its best shooting performances in program history, the Eckerd men's basketball team outlasted Pittsburg State (Kan.) on Saturday at the McArthur Center capping the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic with a 114-105 win.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 114, Pittsburg State 105
Records: Eckerd 6-1, Pittsburg State 5-2
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads, 1-0

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Despite shooting 50 percent in the first half, the Tritons still found themselves facing a 41-38 deficit at halftime thanks in part to 60 percent shooting by Pitt State.  The teams swapped the lead 12 times in the half with the Gorillas going on top with 3:06 left on a pair of free throws by Xavier Adams.  PSU extended its lead to five before a layup by Trevon Young cut the deficit to three at halftime.
• The start of the second half reflected the first 20 minutes of the game as both teams continued to shoot well.  Keshawn Ingram's 4-point play early in the half helped turn the tide in EC's favor as the Tritons pulled back ahead with 16:43 left.
• The key stretch of the half came moments later when Eckerd scored on 11 straight possessions, turning a tied game into a 75-59 lead in the course of four minutes.  After a missed shot, Drushaun McLaurn scored on Eckerd's next two possessions to grow the team's lead to 18 points, the largest of the game.
• Ramping up their defensive pressure and aggressively attacking the basket, the Gorillas began to chip away at Eckerd's lead in the game's final minutes. A 14-5 run pulled Pitt State within four points with 1:15 left, but that was as close as it would get.  McLaurn made one-of-two free throws, then threw down an alley-oop dunk on a lob from Ingram to push the lead back to seven with 44 seconds left and the Gorillas never truly threatened from that point forward.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Eckerd's 63.5 percent performance from the floor didn't quite reach the best mark in program history.  That belongs to the 1985-86 team, which shot 69.6 percent against Barry. 
• McLaurn had a monster of a game, setting a new career high with 33 points on 14-of-18 shooting.  Blake Morrow tied his career high with 23 points while Trevon Young added 25 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
• The Tritons shot an amazing 75.8 percent (25-of-33) in the second half.
• Pitt State's only other loss on the season came against unbeaten Arkansas-Fort Smith.

QUOTABLE
"We changed a few of our positions that we wanted to be in running the offense [in the second half]. We passed the ball sooner and our players were in better positions.  We became willing passers and that created open looks." - EC head coach Tom Ryan

UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action in the McArthur Center on Wednesday, capping a five-game homestand by hosting Florida Southern at 7:30 PM in a conference contest.