LAKELAND, Fla. Myron Hagins led Eckerd with a career-high 35 points and 15 rebounds as the Tritons used a pair of late rallies to top American International (Mass.) in a back and forth contest Friday night at the Florida Southern Classic.
After Eckerd used a 14-0 rally to take a slight edge at halftime, the teams remained within two possessions of each other throughout the second half. The Tritons pulled ahead by seven inside the final two minutes and fended off a last-minute Yellow Jackets rally for a 73-70 victory.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 73, American International 70
Records: Eckerd 6-4; American International 4-8
KEY MOMENTS
- Eckerd struggled offensively over the opening three minutes before a Myron Hagins free throw got the Tritons on the board. A Malcolm Whitlow layup a minute later evened the score at 4-4 before the Yellow Jackets followed with a 15-4 run to take an 11-point lead with 12:16 left. Dante Love and Travis Bianco followed by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to bring EC back within five before American International pushed back out by nine.
- Bianco nailed two straight triples, igniting a string of 14 consecutive points to give Eckerd a 33-27 lead with just over four minutes left. The teams swapped baskets over the rest of the half as the Tritons entered the break with a 36-34 lead.
- The teams traded baskets over the opening five minutes of the second half before AIC took a seven-point lead following an 8-3 run at the 11:20 mark. Eckerd followed with seven straight points over the next minute to even the score at 53-53.
- The Yellow Jackets pushed back out by five with 6:23 left before EC went on an 8-0 run highlighted by two Hagins triples to take a 63-60 lead. A six-point run pushed Eckerd out by seven with 1:49 left. The Yellow Jackets responded with a last-minute surge and pulled within one at 71-70 on a Jalen Jordan 3-pointer with 18 seconds left. However, Whitlow nailed both free throws seconds later to seal the win.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Hagins posted his third double-double (35 points, 15 rebounds) this season. His 35 points set a new career-high breaking his previous best by 13 points. His 15 rebounds tied his career-high set on March 6, 2019, against Barry. Hagins scored 22 of his 35 points in the second half.
- Hagins 35 points are the most by a Tritons since Drushaun McLaurn netted 26 against Saint Leo on November 28, 2018.
- Whitlow and Bianco rounded out the double-digit scorers with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
- Whitlow narrowly missed a double-double as he also dished out nine assists.
- The Tritons shot 40.3 percent from the floor but held the Yellow Jackets to a 36.8 shooting percentage.
QUOTABLE
"I felt like we were out of sync defensively and offensively most of the game. However, we were able to keep the game close," said head coach
Bryan Galuski. "We were fortunate to win today and I'm proud of our team finding a way to win."
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UP NEXT
Eckerd concludes play at the FSC Classic tomorrow facing Northwood (Mich.) at 5:30 PM.
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