Comeback Bid Falls Short at Florida Southern

LAKELAND, Fla. - For the second time in five days, the Eckerd men's basketball team overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to tie the game but again came up just short, this time falling at Florida Southern in overtime, 100-96.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Florida Southern 100, Eckerd 96 (OT)
Records: Eckerd 16-5 (9-5 SSC), Florida Southern 13-9 (7-7 SSC)
All-Time Series: Florida Southern leads, 66-38

The Tritons led by two at halftime and four early in the second half but the Mocs outscored Eckerd, 21-2, over a five-minute stretch to take a 15-point lead with 13:55 to play.  Florida Southern still maintained a 12-point lead (77-65) with 3:30 left before Eckerd made its move.

EC cut the deficit in half but a Jonathan Lawton 3-pointer followed by four straight free throws gave the Mocs an 86-76 lead with 41 seconds left.  The Tritons went to work, scoring 12 points in the final 36 seconds to force overtime.

Trailing by eight with 10 seconds to play, Travis Bianco nailed a 3-pointer.  Drushaun McLaurn then stole the ball on the inbounds and was fouled, making both free throws.  Eckerd then forced another turnover, regaining possession with five seconds left.  Keshawn Ingram was fouled while attempting the game-tying 3-pointer and instead, knocked down all three free throws to send the contest into overtime.

The Tritons held a brief lead in overtime after a layup by Trevon Young made the score 92-90, but FSC scored six straight points and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win.

KEY MOMENTS

• Eckerd opened the game on a 13-3 run, making five of its first seven shots, but went 10-for-25 in the remainder of the first half while Florida Southern shot 50.0 percent from the floor and 65.0 percent from inside the arc.
• The Mocs took control with a 21-2 run early in the second half, building a 15-point lead.
• The Tritons upped their defensive pressure late, forcing FSC into turnovers in the backcourt that led to a rapid flurry of Eckerd points.  EC scored 12 points in the final 36 seconds of regulation to force overtime.
• After taking a two-point lead in overtime, Eckerd missed three straight shots while the Mocs scored six unanswered points.  The Tritons had a chance to tie with 45 seconds left but missed, and FSC made all four of its free throw attempts down the stretch.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Five Tritons scored in double-figures led by 24 from McLaurn.  He also grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season and third in the last six games.
• Florida Southern shot 52.4 percent from the floor, the second-highest field goal percentage for an opponent against Eckerd this season.
• Eckerd went 26-of-31 from the free throw line, marking the team's fifth straight game shooting 80 percent or better from the stripe.
• All five of Eckerd's losses this season have been by four points or fewer.

QUOTABLE
"We had a 15-minute lapse again that put us behind the 8-ball.  We scrapped and clawed and came back but couldn't finish.  Our defense wasn't where it needed to be tonight.  We needed to take something away from them and we didn't do it." - EC head coach Tom Ryan

UP NEXT
The Tritons host Lynn University on Saturday at 4:00 PM, looking to avenge a four-point loss to the Fighting Knights earlier this season.