Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Eckerd senior
Matt Beneduci has been through his fair share of adversity during his time with the Tritons.
After playing in 30 games as a freshman, Beneduci has been slowed by injuries for the better part of his final three years including the loss of his entire junior season.
His performance today may not completely make up for lost time, but it certainly helps. Â Beneduci came off the bench to score a career-high 31 points in just 18 minutes, leading the Tritons to a 93-71 win over Rollins in the McArthur Center.
"Our team shot the ball very well tonight and I was happy for Matt," said EC head coach
Tom Ryan. Â "He has had an injury-plagued four years so it was great to see him contribute in such a big way."
The shooting of both Beneduci and
Kevin Walsh torched the Rollins zone as Eckerd consistently got the ball into the gaps and found open shooters on the wings. Â Beneduci knocked down seven 3's while Walsh added five, leading EC to a 46.4 percent shooting performance from behind the arc.
The Tritons (16-6, 9-4 SSC) led for most of the game, going ahead for good on an
Obi Kyei basket with 13:47 left in the first half. Â It was part of a 14-0 run that saw Eckerd build a double-digit lead.
Rollins (13-10, 7-6 SSC) briefly cut into the EC lead, pulling back within six with just under seven minutes in the half, but the Tritons rolled off 10 straight points just before halftime and took a 44-30 lead into the break.
Eckerd wasted little time in extending its lead to 20 in the second half. Â In fact, the lead never dipped below 20 after a Beneduci layup with 12:58 to play. Â The Tritons led by as many as 31 as the team shot 56.6 percent for the game.
"We did a good job defending a very good offensive team in Rollins," Ryan said. Â "I thought we had a pretty good inside-out offensive night."
Walsh added 17 points in the win while
Drushaun McLaurn chipped in 10.
The Tritons return to the floor on Wednesday, paying a visit to Tampa for a 7:30 PM tipoff.
