ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd men's basketball team held off a late Tampa surge Wednesday night for a 63-61 win at the McArthur Center. After a tight second half, Tampa pulled within one and had an opportunity for the go-ahead shot in the final seconds. However, the Triton defense came up with a critical stop as
O'Shane Taylor-Douglas blocked Pat Bacon's 3-point attempt at the top key with eight seconds left.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 63, Tampa 61
Records: Eckerd 5-3 (2-0 SSC); Tampa 2-6 (0-2 SSC)
KEY MOMENTS
- Both teams struggled offensively with a combined eight points over the opening seven minutes. An Admir Radoncic layup at the 13:15 mark ignited an 11-2 stretch as EC took a 14-7 lead.
- Tampa took a brief five-point lead following a Pat Bacon 3-pointer with 5:17 left. Eckerd followed with a 16-4 scoring stretch to take a seven-point lead before closing the half up 32-29.
- The Tritons stretched their lead to eight early in the second half before the Spartans responded with then consecutive points to take a 43-41 lead with 13:31 left.
- Myron Hagins quickly evened the score as Tampa and Eckerd stayed within two possessions of each other over the rest of the game. UT pulled within one with 1:53 left, but a Hagins triple pushed EC back out by four. The Spartans again pulled within a point with 51 seconds left, and Eckerd's shot missed off the mark on the ensuing possession allowing Tampa a late look to net the game-winner. However, Taylor-Douglas got a hand on Bacon's shot to prevent the late basket and Travis Bianco hit a free throw in the final seconds to seal the win.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Bianco led Eckerd with a double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds. He has now scored 20-plus points three times this season.
- Bianco's 16 rebounds are the most in a game by a Triton since Trevon Young also posted 16 on January 17, 2018.
- Radoncic also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
- Bianco's double-double was his fourth of the year, while Radoncic's was his second.
- The Tritons dominated the boards, holding a 42-29 advantage.
QUOTABLE
"Today was our best defensive performance of the season. The win wasn't pretty, but we found a way to get stops down the stretch, which is an area we have struggled with so far this season," said head coach
Bryan Galuski. "To consistently win in the league, we must take care of the ball and execute better offensively."
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to the McArthur Center Saturday, hosting Barry at 4:00 PM.
