BASKETBALL GAMEDAY: Tritons Host First Round of SSC Tournament

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The postseason begins tonight for the Eckerd basketball teams as the Tritons host the opening round of the Sunshine State Conference tournament.
 

Lynn (10-16, 4-14 SSC) at #10/18 Eckerd (23-4, 16-2 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, March 1 | 5:30 PM
WHERE	McArthur Center
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	Eckerd 65, Lynn 40 (1/21/17)

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS: Lynn sneaked into the tournament field as the No. 8 seed despite dropping its last six games of the regular season.  Three of those losses did come by single digits, including a 71-70 overtime loss to Florida Tech on February 15.  The Fighting Knights enter tonight's contest ranking eighth in the SSC in scoring average (62.2 points per game).  They are, however, one of the best rebounding teams in conference, ranking second in total rebounding and third in offensive rebounding.  Lynn is led by Paola Vazquez Concepcion, who averages 14.5 points per game and leads the SSC in 3-pointers made with 74.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Eckerd handily swept both games from Lynn in the regular season, posting a 78-49 win on November 30 in St. Petersburg and a 65-40 win in Boca Raton on January 21.  Kacie Juday averaged 16 points per game against LU in the regular season series.  The Tritons held Lynn under 30 percent shooting in both contests.

HISTORY MADE: The Tritons made program history on Saturday with a 68-63 win over Florida Southern to clinch the SSC Regular Season Championship.  It's the first conference title in the history of Eckerd women's basketball.  The win also tied the program record for most in a season with 23.
 

Florida Southern (11-17, 8-10 SSC) at Eckerd (20-7, 13-5 SSC)
WHEN	Wednesday, March 1 | 7:30 PM
WHERE	McArthur Center
WATCH	Live Video | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@ECTritons) | Instagram (@EckerdTritons)
LAST MEETING	Eckerd 98, Florida Southern 82 (2/25/17)

ABOUT THE MOCS: Florida Southern enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed, losing the tiebreaker with Lynn after the teams ended up tied with 8-10 conference records.  The Mocs come into the tournament on a four-game skid, including a loss at Eckerd on Saturday.  Despite its record, FSc does have a potent offense that ranks third in the conference in scoring (83.6 points per game).  Six-foot-10 post Jarel Spellman is a defensive presence in the paint, averaging 3.7 blocks per game.  Five players average in double digit led by Michael Volovic with 15.8 per game.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Eckerd and FSC split the regular season series with each team winning on its home floor.  The Mocs won the first meeting on January 14, 87-79, before the Tritons avenged the loss in the return match on Saturday, 98-82.  Drushaun McLaurn has been difficult for Florida Southern to handle, averaging 27 points per game against the Mocs this season.

20 AGAIN: Eckerd's win over the Mocs on Saturday was its 20th of the season, marking the 12th time under head coach Tom Ryan for the program to reach 20 wins.