Rebounding Key as Tritons Muscle Past Saint Leo

SAINT LEO, Fla. - The Eckerd men's basketball team overcame a sub-par shooting performance from the floor with a near-perfect performance from the free throw line and aggressive offensive rebounding, closing the book on the first half of the Sunshine State Conference schedule with an 81-71 road win over Saint Leo.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 81, Saint Leo 71
Records: Eckerd 14-3 (7-3 SSC), Saint Leo 8-13 (4-6 SSC)
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads, 61-35

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a back-and-forth start to the contest that saw four lead changes and three ties, the Tritons went on a 10-2 run to take an eight-point lead with 11:13 left in the first half.  The Lions quickly erased that lead, however, rolling off eight unanswered points as Eckerd missed on six straight shot attempts.  A pair of Trevon Young free throws broke the run, but Saint Leo soon retook the lead following a 3-pointer by Kyran McClure.
• McClure's basket was the first of three straight by the Lions, who grew their lead to five points (30-25) at the 5:00 mark. Eckerd bounced back, going on another 10-2 run for a three-point lead with under a minute to go.  SLU, though, scored the final four points of the half including a last-second 3-pointer by Deandre King to take a 36-35 halftime lead.
• King missed a 3-pointer to open the second half and Eckerd responded on its first possession with a basket by Drushaun McLaurn that gave the Tritons the lead for good though it still took a while for EC to create any breathing room.  The team finally did so thanks to an 18-4 run that extended the margin to 15 points with 10:28 to play.  Offensive rebounding was key during the stretch as the Tritons scored eight second-chance points.
• Saint Leo managed to pull back within seven points with 4:36 left and had a chance to get closer after forcing an Eckerd miss, but Marco Behori stripped the ball away from SLU's Junior Searcy on a rebound and quickly converted a layup.  EC's lead extended to 14 points before a late Lion push got them back within seven, but the hosts never truly threatened as the Tritons earned an important road win.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• The Tritons came close to a perfect performance from the free throw line, making their first 20 attempts before a late miss ended the run.  Eckerd finished the game going 23-of-26, including a flawless 10-for-10 effort from Blake Morrow.
• Four players scored in double-figures led by 26 from McLaurn, who narrowly missed a double-double.  Morrow added 21 points while Young had 17 and Behori chipped in 10.
• Eckerd moved into a tie for second place with Rollins at the conference standings at the midway point of the schedule.  Both are a game behind Barry for first place and lead Nova Southeastern by a game.
• Young grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and recorded his ninth double-double of the season.  He's posted six double-doubles in his last seven games.
• McLaurn pulled in nine rebounds, the eighth of which gave him 500 for his career.  He's the 17th player in program history to reach the mark, joining Young who did it earlier this season.

QUOTABLE
"Trevon was a warrior inside tonight and Drushaun did a great job. Rebounding was a big difference.  After getting out-rebounded in the first half, we ended up out-rebounding them by 13.  That was huge, especially taking away their offensive rebounding." - EC head coach Tom Ryan

UP NEXT
After two weeks of playing away from home, the Tritons return to the McArthur Center on Saturday to host Florida Tech at 4:00 PM.