No. 24 Tritons Take Control Early, Hold Off Rollins for Ninth Straight Win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Drushaun McLaurn and Trevon Young led an efficient Triton offense on Saturday as Eckerd earned its ninth-straight win, building an early lead and holding off Rollins on Saturday, 95-81.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 95, Rollins 81
Records: Eckerd 12-1 (5-1 SSC); Rollins 8-6 (4-2 SSC)
All-Time Series: Rollins leads, 67-52

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Keshawn Ingram opened the game with a 3-pointer on Eckerd's first possession, giving the Tritons a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the day.  Rollins pulled within a point on a few early occasions but soon found itself facing a sizable deficit after EC went on a 20-3 run over a five-minute span.  The run included 15 unanswered points, a stretch in which Eckerd went 5-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line on the way to a 39-18 lead with 6:00 left in the half.
• The Tars responded with an 8-0 run and eventually pulled within nine points at the 1:17 mark.  McLaurn's offensive rebound and putback pushed the lead back into double-digits, although Rollins had a chance to further trim the deficit on the final possession of the half but missed a quick 3-pointer in transition as the Tritons took a 47-37 lead into the break.
• Eckerd went back ahead by 15 points early in the second half before Rollins managed to pull within five with 13:18 left following a basket by Sam Philpott.  The Tritons, however, followed with a 10-2 run, extending their lead to 13 on a traditional 3-point play by McLaurn.  EC's lead never dipped below nine points for the rest of the game, aided by taking care of the basketball against the Tars' extended zone and getting high-percentage shots in the lane after getting into the gaps of that zone. A one-handed dunk by Young in the final minute put an exclamation mark on the win as Eckerd took its ninth straight victory.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Young recorded his third straight double-double, and only needed one half to do it.  The senior had 16 points and 11 rebounds by halftime and finished the day with 22 points and 12 rebounds.  It was his sixth double-double of the year and fifth in his last seven games.
• Efficiency was key down the stretch as the Tritons made 13 of their last 16 shots from the floor after Rollins pulled within five points with 13:00 to play.
• Eckerd shot 57.9 percent from the floor, its fourth-best percentage of the season and fifth game in a row to shoot 50 percent or better.  Young, McLaurn and Myron Hagins combined to go 21-of-27 in the win.
• The Tritons again dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Rollins 36-21.

QUOTABLE
"We didn't turn the ball over against them, especially at the top of the key against their zone.  Our spacing was good and helped us play inside-out effectively.  We did a really nice job of sharing the ball." - EC head coach Tom Ryan

UP NEXT
The Tritons face another tough test on Wednesday, traveling to take on Nova Southeastern at 7:30 PM.