Nova Southeastern Edges Tritons, 73-68

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Free-throw shooting, turnovers, and rebounding proved to plague the Eckerd men's basketball team on Saturday as Nova Southeastern pulled away late, sweeping the Tritons in the regular season with a 73-68 win in the McArthur Center.

Eckerd held an eight-point lead at halftime but went an uncharacteristic 3-of-9 from the free throw line in the second half while turning the ball over 10 times, aiding in the Sharks' escaping St. Petersburg with a narrow win.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Nova Southeastern 73, Eckerd 68
Records: Eckerd 17-6 (10-6 SSC), Nova Southeastern 16-6 (10-6 SSC)
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads, 43-16

KEY MOMENTS

• Eckerd got off to a hot start behind the perimeter shooting of Marco Behori, who drained a pair of 3-pointers to fuel a 12-2 run to open the game.
• A 3-pointer by Myron Hagins extended EC's lead to 11, but Nova Southeastern quickly pulled back within one at the 10:42 mark.  The Sharks later briefly took the lead on a 3-pointer by Pat Huffine.  The Tritons responded with a 13-4 run to end the half, taking a 36-28 lead into the break.
• Trevon Young's layup opened the second half and pushed Eckerd's lead back to 10, but NSU wasted little time in trimming the deficit out-scoring the Tritons 17-7 over a five-minute stretch behind the shooting of Dwayne Gibson, who knocked down a trio of 3-pointers during the run.
• Eckerd took its final lead at 56-54 on a 3-pointer by Blake Morrow with 8:22 left.  A Nick Stampley jumper tied it and, after a pair of EC misses, another Gibson triple put the Sharks ahead for good.
• Beginning at the 6:28 mark, the Tritons went over three minutes without a field goal allowing Nova Southeastern to inch ahead by six points. Young's layup broke the drought, but Eckerd came up empty on its next four possessions.  Travis Bianco's 3-pointer cut the deficit to five with 14 seconds left and Behori got a steal on the inbounds pass.  Bianco then launched another 3 that was on line but short. NSU grabbed the rebound and held on for the win.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Eckerd held NSU to 18 points below its season average and limited David Dennis, the conference's fifth-leading scorer, to eight points.
• The Tritons went 8-of-16 from the free throw line, the team's second-worst performance of the season.  
• Eckerd was out-rebounded for only the fourth time this season.  The Sharks grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, converting them into 18 second-chance points.  NSU out-rebounded the Tritons in both contests this season.
• All of Eckerd's six losses this season have been by five points or fewer.
• Drushaun McLaurn (15 points, 10 rebounds) posted his fifth double-double of the season and third in the last five games.
• The loss drops Eckerd into a second-place tie in the SSC with Nova Southeastern in a crowded set of standings.  Rollins and Lynn (10-7 SSC) are a half-game back while Florida Southern is a game back.

UP NEXT
The Tritons travel to Embry-Riddle on Wednesday for a 7:30 PM tipoff.  Three of the team's final four regular-season games are on the road.