BASKETBALL GAMEDAY: Tritons Visit Rival Tampa for SSC Showdown

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd basketball teams head across the Howard Frankland Bridge this evening for a pair of important conference contests, visiting the University of Tampa.
 

#21/24 Eckerd (18-4, 11-2 SSC) at Tampa (14-6, 9-3 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, February 8 | 5:30 PM
WHERE	Martinez Center; Tampa, Fla.
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	Eckerd 59, Tampa 51 (1/11/17)

ABOUT THE SPARTANS: Tampa is coming off a blowout loss at Embry-Riddle on Saturday as the Eagles raced to a 63-36 win.  The Spartans will look to shake off the poor outing and pull within a half-game of Eckerd in the SSC standings while avenging an earlier loss in St. Petersburg.  Tampa sports the top defensive scoring average in conference, allowing 54.8 points per game, and is second behind Eckerd in scoring margin (plus-10.8).  Elena de Alfredo ranks second in the SSC in scoring with 16.1 points per game, one of three Spartans averaging in double-figures along with Karma Jeremie (12.9) and Faith Sanders (11.1).

LAST TIME THEY MET: Victoria Vine scored a career-high 28 points as the Tritons put together a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Spartans, 59-51, on January 11 in the McArthur Center.  EC outscored Tampa, 23-9, in the final 10 minutes to earn the win.

CONFERENCE RACE TIGHTENS: After Eckerd's Saturday loss to Rollins, the race for the regular season title in the SSC has tightened with five teams currently in contention.  This week could help solidify the Tritons in one of the top two spots by season's end with road contests against Tampa today and Nova Southeastern on Saturday.  Both teams are currently 1.5 games behind Eckerd in the standings.
 

Eckerd (16-6, 9-4 SSC) at Tampa (14-8, 7-5 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, February 8 | 7:30 PM
WHERE	Martinez Center; Tampa, Fla.
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	Eckerd 81, Tampa 71 (1/11/17)

ABOUT THE SPARTANS: Tampa started the season hot winning 12 of its first 15 games but has slumped since losing five of its last seven.  One of those recent wins, however, was on the road over then-No. 6 Barry, 88-80.  The Spartans boast one of the best defenses in the conference, ranking only behind Eckerd in scoring defense (75.0 points per game).  They also rank second in field goal percentage, shooting 47.9 percent from the floor.  Five players average in double-figures led by Marcel Robinson with 19.1 points per game.  Last year's SSC Freshman of the Year, Pat Bacon, averages 13.0 points per game and did not play in the first meeting between UT and Eckerd.

LAST TIME THEY MET: Eckerd build a 22-point lead in the second half, then survived a brief scare after Tampa pulled back within nine as the Tritons scored an 81-71 win over the then-No. 19 Spartans on January 11 in the McArthur Center.  Drushaun McLaurn posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Obi Kyei added 17.

BUILDING SEPARATION: Tonight's game is an important one for Eckerd, which leads Tampa by two games for second place in the SSC.  A win for Eckerd would further increase that gap and put the Tritons in prime position to clinch no worse than the No. 2 overall seed during the Sunshine State Conference tournament in March.