Tritons Fall to Late Lions' Rally

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's basketball team controlled the majority of the game Wednesday night at the McArthur Center. However, Saint Leo rallied over the last three minutes of the game and converted on a last-second basket as the Tritons fell, 79-77.
 
Eckerd opened the second half aggressively with an early 10-1 run and used a 7-0 run later to take an 11-point lead with 3:04 left, but Saint Leo went on a 15-3 run over the next two minutes to take the lead. Admir Radoncic evened the score on a free throw with eight seconds left, but SLU made the go-ahead basket with one second left for the win.
 
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Saint Leo 79, Eckerd 77
Records: Eckerd 7-11 (3-7 SSC); Saint Leo 13-5 (7-3 SSC)
 
KEY MOMENTS

• After swapping baskets for the opening 10 minutes, a Malcolm Whitlow triple at the 10:54 mark ignited a 7-0 Triton run as EC took a 20-13 lead. Saint Leo responded to pull within one point three minutes later, but EC answered with another seven-point run to take a 27-19 lead with 5:21 left. 
• The Lions answered with a string of 11 consecutive points over the next three minutes to take a slight 30-27 advantage. However, Eckerd answered with a Travis Bianco triple to send them on a run of six straight points to regain the lead as EC then took a 38-33 advantage at halftime. 
• After an opening basket by Issiah Hill, Eckerd went on a 10-1 run to take a 47-36 lead at the 16:26 mark. The Lions responded with a 10-2 run over the next six minutes to pull within three before they evened the score at 51-51 with 9:41 remaining. 
• The teams traded baskets over the next two minutes before Eckerd went on a run of seven straight points capped by a Bianco 3-pointer from the corner to give Eckerd a 66-58 lead with 5:04 left. EC stretched its lead out to 11 at the 3:04 mark, but SLU went on a 15-3 run to take the lead at 77-76 with 40 seconds remaining. Eckerd missed on its next possession, but Radoncic drew a foul on the putback attempt, and he made the first of two free throws to tie the game at 77-77. However, Hill made the go-ahead layup with one second left to give the Lions the last-second win. 

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Bianco was sharp from the perimeter going 6-for-8 on the night, including success on his first five attempts in the first half. He led Eckerd with 24 points.
• Radoncic posted his fifth double-double this season with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
• Whitlow and O'Shane Taylor-Douglas rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 and 10 points, respectively.  
• The Tritons held a 39-29 advantage on the boards. Radoncic led EC with a career-high 12 rebounds while Bianco had seven.
• Eckerd shot 50.0 percent from the field and also 50.0 percent (8-for-16) from 3-point range.

QUOTABLE
"It was a tough loss tonight for us," said head coach Bryan Galuski. "Everyone in the locker room is disappointed, but we need to stay positive and continue to compete."

UP NEXT
Eckerd looks to get back in the win column on Saturday as they host Palm Beach Atlantic at 4:00 PM.