McLaurn's Career Night Leads Tritons to Sweet 16

ATLANTA - For the second night in a row, shots weren't falling from the perimeter for the Eckerd men's basketball team.

So, instead, the Tritons leaned upon what they do best: defending, rebounding, and getting to the rim.

The result is the team's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2007 after defeating Florida Southern, 90-77.

As they did in Saturday's win over Valdosta State (Ga.), the Tritons led for nearly the entire game.  Florida Southern's two leads came early, the second after a Trey Diggs 3-pointer made it 5-4 at the 13:55 mark.  Trevon Young answered with a layup on Eckerd's next possession and the Tritons never trailed the rest of the night.

That's not to say it was easy.  EC had to deal with harassing full-court pressure - the same pressure that helped the Mocs come back from 21 points down a night earlier - and a barrage of 12 3-pointers.

But every time Florida Southern seemed poised to go on a run, Eckerd would put a halt to it with either a basket or a defensive stop.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 90, Florida Southern 77 
Records: Eckerd 26-6, Florida Southern 21-11 
All-Time Series: FSC leads, 66-40

KEY MOMENTS

• Both teams started slowly going without a point for the first four minutes.  The Tritons struggled with turnovers, giving the ball up four times in their first six possessions.
• After a jumper by Jonathan Lawton made it a one-point game with 4:08 left in the first half, Eckerd finally created a bit of separation going on an 11-0 run to end the half and take a 32-20 lead into halftime. Drushaun McLaurn and Trevon Young combined for nine of the points during the run.
• Eckerd's lead fluctuated between eight and 13 points for a long stretch in the second half.  FSC twice cut the lead to eight and forced a miss, but the Tritons were able to snag the offensive rebound and convert the putback both times.
• The Mocs got within seven points (56-49) with 9:02 left.  Keshawn Ingram answered with a floater in the lane, the first of five huge answers for the Tritons.  Attacking the rim, Florida Southern continued to score and cut into the deficit but each time responded with either basket or free throws on the other end.  
• Jonathan Lawton's two free throws again pulled FSC within seven at the 6:11 mark.  McLaurn took a feed in transition from Paulius Zabilevicius for a layup, sparking an 11-1 run that pushed the EC lead to 17 with 2:56 left.
• Florida Southern started fouling early to stop the clock and it worked to an extent.  The Mocs managed to get within nine points with 49 seconds left but Eckerd made enough free throws and got enough stops down the stretch to seal the win.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Eckerd will make its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2007.  The Tritons lost a heartbreaker that year to the University of Montevallo (Ala.), 64-61, to foil the team's bid for its second Elite 8 trip.
• McLaurn finished with 37 points and 15 rebounds, career-highs in both categories.  It tied him for the fourth-most points in a game in program history.  He also tied the program record for the most free throws attempted in a game with 21 and moved into second all-time for the most points in a season (609) while also surpassing 1500 career points.
• The Tritons are one win away from tying the program record for the most in a season (27) set in 2006-07.
• Trevon Young was a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor and 1-of-1 from the line in just 23 minutes.
• Eckerd dominated the glass, out-rebounding FSC by a margin of 49-23.  EC had 23 second-chance points while the Mocs recorded none.
• The Tritons went 3-1 against Florida Southern this season.  The previous three games had been decided by a total of 10 points.

QUOTABLE
"You have to figure out little ways to get yourself in positions to be successful.  It won't be any big thing because everyone knows what we're trying to do." - EC head coach Tom Ryan on playing a team for the fourth time this season.

"There were times where we really attacked it well and times where we were passive and looked bad.  When we attacked the press, we were able to get layups fairly easily." - Ryan on how the Tritons handled FSC's full-court pressure.

"We were trying to find the right pieces.  We have enough people who are getting experience slowly.  You've just got to find out who is having a good night." - Ryan on the contributions of reserves Shaquille Harris and Connor Jenkins.

"It's a little tougher be you know everything about each other.  It comes down to who has more heart and who can defend." - McLaurn on playing a team for the fourth time this season.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will face yet another familiar opponent in Tuesday's region championship where Barry awaits.  The two teams tip off for the fourth time this season at 7:00 PM on Tuesday in Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College.