Comeback Bid Falls Short for Tritons in SSC Quarterfinals

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Needing a win to be assured of a spot in next week's regional tournament, the Eckerd men's basketball team is now in the uncomfortable position of waiting after falling to Barry University in the quarterfinals of the Sunshine State Conference tournament on Wednesday night.

A first-half Triton lead rapidly dissipated early in the second half as Barry scored the first six points out of halftime.  The Bucs never trailed again following a David Moya 3-pointer with 17:26 left, though Eckerd tied the game on several occasions.

An unfortunately-timed whistle in the final seconds perhaps sealed Eckerd's fate. Trailing by 10 with 44 seconds left, the Tritons went on a tear and pulled within two points with nine seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbound, Drushaun McLaurn had a steal and layup that appeared to tie the game but was disallowed after a foul called just before McLaurn's takeaway.

After missing two free throws seconds before, Barry's Daniel Mortensen made both on his most important trip to give the Bucs a 72-68 victory

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Barry 72, Eckerd 68
Records: Eckerd 19-10; Barry 18-10

KEY MOMENTS

• After a back-and-forth contest for the first 12 minutes, Eckerd went on a 12-2 run to take a 29-21 lead with 4:00 left in the first half.  The Bucs quickly pulled back within three but a pair of Myron Hagins baskets helped the Tritons carry a 33-28 lead into halftime.
• Barry opened the second half on a 12-3 run, going up by four after back-to-back 3-pointers by David Moya.  Eckerd tied the game three times over the next four minutes before Barry rolled off seven unanswered points for a 52-45 lead at the 11:17 mark.
• A traditional 3-point play by Marquis Gilbert pulled EC back within two with 8:53 to play.  The Tritons had a chance to take the lead three times afterward but could not get a shot to fall.
• Six straight Barry points upped the lead to 62-54 with 3:57 to play, and the lead later grew to 10 with 1:15 left.
• Still down by 10 with 44 seconds, the Tritons began a ferocious comeback. Eckerd scored 10 points over the next 35 seconds to get within two of the lead and appeared to tie the game on McLaurn's steal and basket only to see it waved off on a foul called simultaneously.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Marco Behori made the most of his final game in the McArthur Center scoring a career-high 24 points and tying his career-high with 11 rebounds.  He also had four steals while going 11-of-13 from the free throw line.
• Eckerd struggled from behind the arc, making just 5-of-29 in the game.  Two of those makes came in the final minute.
• McLaurn had 13 points in his final game in the McArthur Center.
• Myron Hagins posted a double-double with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will wait to see if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA National Tournament. The qualifiers and brackets will be revealed Sunday night.