Tritons Hold Off Shaw With Balanced Scoring Attack

TAMPA, Fla. - Taking on an opponent that featured the nation's leading scorer, the Eckerd men's basketball team held strong down the stretch to walk away with an 88-82 victory over Shaw (N.C.) University at the Tampa Classic on Tuesday evening.

The Tritons held Shaw's Amir Hinton to eight points below his season average and made some vital baskets in the final minutes to hold on for the victory.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 88, Shaw 82
Records: Eckerd 8-2, Shaw 5-4

KEY MOMENTS

• Eckerd went on an 18-8 run beginning at the 10:00 mark of the first half and ending on back-to-back layups by Drushaun McLaurn and Myron Hagins nearly five minutes later, taking a 33-22 lead.
• The Tritons, however, turned the ball over four times in their next six possessions, enabling the Bears to use a 16-4 run that gave them a one-point lead with a minute left. Gianni Dailey connected on a 3-pointer just before the break to put EC back in front, 40-38, at halftime.
• Eckerd opened up a 10-point lead early in the second half but was unable to grow it any further, though the Tritons never lost the lead either. With 5:00 left, Shaw got within a point and had a chance to take the lead after EC missed on the front end of a one-and-one. However, Eckerd got an important stop and responded with a pair of baskets by McLaurn and Marco Behori.
• Two more clutch baskets late in the game helped secure the win. After Shaw's Davaughn Kelsie made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two, Hagins converted a layup off a feed from McLaurn with 2:22 left. Moments later, Kristiyan Stavrev canned a 3-pointer to extend the lead to six.
• Hagins also came up with a vital offensive rebound with just over a minute to play, drawing a foul on the putback and making both free throws to put the lead back to six.  EC then made four free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Behori missed out on making Triton history by one assist, which is all he would have needed for a triple-double.  The senior finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
• Hagins led five Tritons in double figures with 20 points. McLaurn finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists.  Stavrev netted a career-high 17 points, and Dailey was a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc on his was to 14 points.
• Eckerd had a sizable edge on the glass, outrebounding the Bears 36-20.  The Tritons converted 13 offensive rebounds into 17 points.
• Eckerd shot a season-high 57.4 percent from the field.

UP NEXT
The Tritons take on Limestone (S.C.) on Wednesday at 5:00 PM to finish the Tampa Classic.