JACKSON, Tenn. - A very familiar opponent awaits the Eckerd women's basketball team on Friday in the first round of the NCAA South Region Tournament.
The fifth-seeded Tritons (22-7) will face Sunshine State Conference foe Embry-Riddle (23-7) for the fourth time this season in the final game of day one with a scheduled tip-off of 7:30 PM (CST) from Fred Delay Gymnasium on the campus of Union (Tenn.) University.
COVERAGE: Live Stats |
Live Video |
South Region Tournament Home |
Digital Tournament Program
Here are six things to know about Friday's first-round contest.
1. Eckerd is making its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in four years, while Embry-Riddle qualified in its first of postseason eligibility.
The Tritons have made huge strides since 2014 under the direction of
Paul Honsinger, the 2017 SSC Coach of the Year. The program had not enjoyed a 20-win season before 2014-15; since then, Eckerd has posted three seasons with more than 20 victories with a four-year record of 84-34. Last season, Eckerd earned the right to host the region tournament as the No. 1 seed and scored the program's first-ever national tournament victory after defeating Lee (Tenn.), 84-77. The Tritons graduated six seniors from that team, including South Region Player of the Year
Victoria Vine, but reloaded to make their second straight tournament appearance.
The Eagles, on the other hand, are still a young program only in their fourth season, yet have made quick strides under head coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson. Embry-Riddle advanced to the SSC Championship game on Sunday after eliminating Eckerd in the semifinals but fell to a hot Florida Southern team.
2. Neither team defeated the other on its home floor this season.
Eckerd and Embry-Riddle split their two regular-season meetings, each team winning on the other's floor. In the first contest at Eckerd on January 6, the Eagles overcame a 17-point deficit in the second quarter for a come-from-behind 59-55 win. ERAU held the Tritons without a field goal in the final 5:19 of the game.
Eckerd returned the favor in Daytona Beach on February 14, again taking a large lead in the third quarter of 20 points only to see the Eagles again come charging back. Embry-Riddle used a 10-0 run to whittle the deficit down to one point with 1:27 left but this time, EC was able to hold on for a 72-67 win.
The third matchup in the SSC semifinals in Lakeland saw ERAU take an early lead that grew to 13 points with 3:00 left in the third quarter. Eckerd pulled back within four points with 4:49 to play, but got no closer as the Eagles won, 61-53.
3. Both teams play stout defense against one another.
Eckerd and Embry-Riddle both are among the best defensive teams in the conference, ranking second and fourth respectively in points allowed per game. They certainly make scoring difficult for each other as well. Eckerd has averaged 60.0 points per game against the Eagles this season while holding the Eagles to 62.3 points per game.
In the three previous matchups this season, both teams have shot below 40 percent twice. However, the winning team shot better than 50 percent in the last two games.
The Eagles tend to pressure the ball in the backcourt, creating turnovers and run-out chances. ERAU has had success with this gameplan against EC, averaging 19.7 points per game off turnovers in the three contests. Eckerd has also made things tough on the Eagles, forcing an average of 20 turnovers in the last two games.
4. The Eagles thrive on a dangerous inside-out offense.
Embry-Riddle spreads the floor on offense around senior post Tara Fields, who averages 15.4 points per game and has scored in double-figures in 10 of her last 11 games including a 27-point performance in the SSC championship. She averages 15.0 points per game this season against Eckerd.
Her presence opens the floor for a variety of shooters including Sabrina Whiting, Lauren Ellenberger, and Nicole Tucker. Leading the team in both 3-pointers made (55) and 3-point percentage (44.7), Ellenberger has been particularly hot as of late, averaging 14.3 points per game over her last seven outings while shooting 58.9 percent from behind the arc.
Whiting (38.1 percent), Tucker (38.1), and Morgan Ackermann (43.6) also shoot the ball extremely well from 3-point range.
5. Eckerd shares the basketball in a balanced offensive attack.
The Tritons can be difficult to stop offensively when they are in sync due to several scoring threats. Four players average in double figures led by
Kacie Juday's 12.2 points per game.
Chelsea Johnson (10.7 ppg),
Zoe Richards (10.6), and
Yarden Danan (10.1) have combined to balance out the team's scoring.
Embry-Riddle has done a very good job limiting Richards this season, holding her to a total of 10 points in the three games. Johnson has been the team's most productive scorer in the last two games against the Eagles with 18 and 20 points.
6. Rebounding might be the key.
In the seven times that the two teams have played in the last three years, the team that held the edge on the boards has won five of those. ERAU held a narrow edge in both of its wins this year ( 1, 3) while Eckerd grabbed nine more boards than did the Eagles during EC's win in February.
