Tritons Torch Florida Tech to Win SSC Tournament Title

Box Score DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Entering today's Sunshine State Conference championship, Florida Tech had beaten the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds in successive games and looked to become the first No. 6 seed in conference history to win the tournament.

Instead, it was Eckerd that made history yet again.

The Tritons (26-4) put a stop to the Panthers' run through the tournament with a convincing 77-56 win on Sunday to bring the program's first-ever SSC tournament title back to St. Petersburg.

"Our team responded to the challenge today," said EC head coach Paul Honsinger, who continued to prove that his coach of the year honor was well-deserved.  "We were very unselfish and shot the ball well.  We had balanced scoring and great bench production.  Several players hit open 3's and we played aggressively at both ends."

Even though the final margin of 21 points was the third-largest in a championship game in conference history, it didn't always come easy for the Tritons against an FIT squad that is known for its physical style of play.

Eckerd, however, dominated the second and fourth quarters by outscoring the Panthers a combined 51-22 in the even-numbered periods.

After Florida Tech (15-14) closed the first quarter with eight unanswered points to take an 18-16 lead, the Tritons responded with a 14-0 run while holding FIT scoreless for a seven-minute stretch.

Ashley Folsom's play inside helped open up the perimeter for EC.  Folsom scored nine in the first quarter, forcing the Panther defense into the lane.  In typical fashion, Eckerd made them pay by knocking down four 3-pointers in the second quarter that helped build a 40-26 lead at halftime.

The Panthers changed their defensive approach in the third quarter with an extended zone that caused some issues as Eckerd turned the ball over four times, allowing FIT to pull back within eight at the end of the period.

But as they have done for so much of this record-setting season, the Tritons made the right adjustments at the right time.

Finding gaps in the zone, EC made four of its first five 3-point attempts in the final period as part of a 12-1 run, extending the lead to 62-43 following back-to-back 3's from Sarah Ammons.

Florida Tech had no answer and Eckerd cruised the rest of the way to complete the sweep of the SSC regular season and tournament championships.

Eckerd again torched the nets from 3-point range, draining 13 3-pointers and shooting 44.8 percent from behind the arc.  The Tritons made 34 3's in the three games of the tournament.

Folsom had a big game for Eckerd, establishing a presence in the paint early on her way to 17 points and 12 rebounds.  Chelsea Johnson gave the team a spark off the bench with 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting.

Ada Yalcin's consistent play at the point earned her tournament MVP honors.  She saved her best game for the finals with 14 points, six assists, three steals and two blocks.

Folsom and Victoria Vine were also named to the all-tournament team.

The win helped solidify the No. 1 seed in this week's NCAA South Region Tournament and a host bid for the Tritons.  Eckerd will welcome eight teams to the McArthur Center on Friday for the first round of the tournament.  The Tritons will take on eighth-seeded Lee (Tenn.) University in the first round on Friday.