Tritons Overcome Large Deficit but Fall Short at NCAA Tournament

JACKSON, Tenn. - It was quite nearly a comeback that would have been remembered at Eckerd for a long time.

Trailing by 20 points late in the first half, the Tritons fought back and eventually took a one-point lead with 2:00 left but ultimately fell to Embry-Riddle in the first round of the NCAA National Tournament, 57-54.

Even though the outcome didn't go in Eckerd's favor, the effort and tenacity that the team exhibited in the second half made things very interesting on a day where three of the four first-round games came down to the final seconds.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Embry-Riddle 57, Eckerd 54
Records: Eckerd 22-8, Embry-Riddle 24-7

KEY MOMENTS

• Embry-Riddle stifled Eckerd from the tip and jumped out to a 13-0 lead. The Tritons went over six minutes without scoring before Zoe Richards' traditional 3-point play finally got them on the board.
• The Eagles continued to add to their lead in the second quarter, at one point making six straight shots to go ahead by 20 (38-18) with 3:00 left in the first half.  A Yarden Danan layup cut the deficit to 18 by halftime.
• The Tritons came out in full-court pressure to begin the second half, which immediately caused problems for ERAU.  A 9-0 run quickly cut the lead in half three minutes into the period, but another cold spell saw Eckerd go without a basket for nearly five minutes.  However, the team's defense kept the Eagles from pulling away.  EC scored the last five points of the quarter to trail by nine.
• Eckerd went on a 7-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to finally tie the game at 49-49 on a layup by Abby Whiteye.  Embry-Riddle missed three straight shots on its next possession, and the Tritons had a good look at the basket but missed a layup.
• After Tara Fields put back her own miss to put ERAU back ahead, Kacie Juday drove to the basket and was fouled making a layup.  She then connected on the free throw to give Eckerd its first lead of the game with 2:06 to play.
• ERAU's Lauren Ellenberger came up big on her team's next possession, drilling a 3-pointer off the left wing.  Eckerd missed an attempt to answer with its own 3-pointer and followed with a missed layup after Ada Yalcin sneaked away with the offensive rebound.
• Eckerd got the ball back down by two after forcing a shot clock violation with 15 seconds left.  Chelsea Johnson slashed to the basket but was whistled for a charge on a somewhat controversial call.  Sabrina Whiting was fouled seconds later and made both free throws that effectively sealed the win.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• The Tritons went 3-of-12 from the floor in the first quarter while turning the ball over seven times.  Embry-Riddle, meanwhile, was 7-for-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the arc - including a banked-in 3-pointer - on the way to a 13-point lead.
• Eckerd held ERAU to just 19 points in the second half.
• Kacie Juday finished her career with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, her ninth of the season.
• The Tritons won 20 games for the third time in the last four seasons.

QUOTABLE
"I'm extremely proud of our fight tonight.  We competed hard, never quit and believed we could win.  It's difficult to come up short in the end but this team has been terrific all year.  We showed character tonight with the comeback and I'm proud of them all, especially Kacie and Ada, our two seniors.  They are special players who brought our program to new heights during their tenure. They will be missed." - EC head coach Paul Honsinger