Fourth-Quarter Run Leads Tritons to SSC Win Over Lynn

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After a mid-game slump sent the Eckerd women's basketball team into the fourth quarter trailing by five, a brilliant performance in the final 10 minutes erased the effects of that dry spell.

The Tritons out-scored Lynn University in the fourth quarter, 26-6, turning a five-point deficit into a 15-point win on Saturday at the McArthur Center.

Eckerd led by 11 early in the second quarter before the Fighting Knights went on a tear with 18 unanswered points.  Lynn added to its halftime lead in the third period, but the Tritons came to life once again in the final 10 minutes.

A 13-0 run over a three-minute span gave Eckerd a 64-52 lead with 4:27 to play.  The Fighting Knights got back within eight before EC scored the final seven points of the game to avenge a January loss at Lynn.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 72, Lynn 57
Records: Eckerd 16-6 (10-5 SSC), Lynn 10-12 (6-9 SSC)

KEY MOMENTS

• Eckerd jumped ahead early, leading for over nine minutes of the first quarter, and went on an 8-0 run to begin the second quarter for a 27-16 lead.
• A Jaylen Snipes 3-pointer with 6:40 to go in the first half triggered a sequence of blistering shooting by Lynn.  The Knights went on an 18-0 run while going 7-for-8 from the floor and 4-of-4 from behind the arc.  Chelsea Johnson's 3-pointer finally broke the run as Eckerd fought back to tie the game at 34-34 before Snipes nailed another 3-pointer to give Lynn a lead at the half.
• Eckerd briefly took the lead early in the third quarter, but another run by the Fighting Knights put them ahead by seven with 2:22 left.  The Tritons cut the deficit to five and nearly trimmed it further on a half-court heave by Yarden Danan at the end of the period, but the shot rattled out.
• EC scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and then, after a Meagan Shananan free throw gave Lynn what turned out to be its last lead, the Tritons rolled off 13 unanswered points.  Richards scored seven straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• The Tritons forced 24 turnovers and had 17 steals, the most for a Triton team since taking the ball away 18 times from Embry-Riddle on November 19, 2016.  The Lynn miscues led to a 33-5 Eckerd edge in points off turnovers.
• Richards netted a game-high 21 points, marking the third time in the last four games for the sophomore to surpass 20 points.
• Kacie Juday snagged a career-high six steals. She now ranks 13th in program history in career steals with 133.
• Ada Yalcin matched her career-high with eight assists.

QUOTABLE
"I was happy with how we stuck with it tonight.  Lynn had a great run and shot the ball very well.  We played a strong second half and defended well in the fourth quarter to close out the game.  It was a good win." - EC head coach Paul Honsinger

UP NEXT
The Tritons have their bye date on Wednesday before hosting Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 2:00 PM.