No. 12 Tritons Hold Off Lee, Advance to Region Semifinals

Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As far as places to record the program's first NCAA postseason victory go, this location would have been hard for the Eckerd women's basketball team to top.

The No. 10/12 Tritons held off a feisty effort by eighth-seeded Lee (Tenn.) University on Friday afternoon, advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA South Region tournament with an 84-77 win in the McArthur Center in front of a large and boisterous crowd.

The win for Eckerd (27-4) was the first-ever for the program in the NCAA National Tournament, putting another mark on a season already full of records.

The Flames, however, didn't make it easy down the stretch as they overcame a 17-point deficit to pull within three points with 3:30 to play.

Lee forced Eckerd into two misses and had a chance to tie on its next possession but turned the ball over.  Kacie Juday then sliced through the defense in the paint to get free for a layup and scored EC's next five points giving the Tritons a 79-72 lead with 1:09 left in the game.

Eckerd's defense was a vital part of preserving the win, forcing three turnovers and allowing no field goals in a two-minute span which allowed the lead to grow back to eight points following a free throw by Victoria Vine.

The Tritons then sealed the win at the free throw line, making their final four attempts to finish off the historic win.

After weathering a hot start by Lee, which was making its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament, Eckerd built an 11-point lead at the half and later extended the lead to 17 points following a 13-4 run in the third quarter.

EC still led by 16 early in the fourth before the Flames (20-11) began to make their move when Ashley Folsom went to the bench with her fourth foul.

Lee rolled off nine unanswered points in a one-and-a-half minute span to pull within seven, and shortly thereafter used a quick 7-0 run to get within three with 3:30 left in the game.

The Tritons, however, maintained their poise and fended off the upset effort.

Eckerd placed four in double-figures led by Vine's 21 points.  Folsom had 14 while Juday and Anna Deegan each added 13.

One major contributor to the victory for Eckerd was free-throw shooting.  EC went 24-of-34 from the line while Lee made good on 9-of-11 attempts.  The Tritons also continued their recent hot shooting from behind the arc, knocking down 10 3-pointers in the win.

Lee's Abby Bertram led all players with 22 points.

The Tritons will see a familiar foe in Saturday's region semifinal as they will take on Rollins College.  The Tars handily defeated Florida Southern, 71-47, in the final game of the day to advance.