SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Eckerd men's basketball team overcame an insurmountable deficit Wednesday night thanks to a 24-4 run over an eight-minute stretch early in the second half as they rallied past Saint Leo, 88-80, at the Bowman Center.
Saint Leo took a 16-point lead into halftime before extending their margin to 20 points to start the second half. However, the Tritons caught fire in the second half as they rolled off 17 straight points over a six-minute stretch to pull within three before following with a 7-1 spurt to even the score midway through the half.
EC quickly rolled off seven straight points to take the lead as they controlled the rest of the game to earn the comeback win.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 88, Saint Leo 80
Records: Eckerd 9-18 (5-14 SSC); Saint Leo 15-12 (9-10 SSC)
KEY MOMENTS
- Eckerd jumped out to a slight 8-2 lead following a Myron Hagins triple at the 17:09 mark, but Saint Leo responded with an 8-0 stretch to take a two-point lead two minutes later. The teams traded baskets and stayed within one possession of each other over the next five minutes before the Saints went on a 22-5 run to take a 15-point lead with 4:24 left. SLU maintained a comfortable lead over the rest of the half as they took a 52-36 lead into intermission.
- Saint Leo took a 20-point lead just over a minute into the second half on an Isaiah Hill 3-pointer. However, Eckerd responded to keep the Saints off the board over the next six-plus minutes as the Tritons went on a torrid stretch of 17 straight points to pull within three at 58-55.
- An SLU triple ended the run, but EC followed with a 7-1 stretch to even the score at 62-62 on a Phillip Cirillo 3-pointer at the 9:36 mark. SLU regained the lead with two free throws, but seven straight points by Admir Radoncic finally gave EC the lead as they pulled in front by five at 69-64 with 5:57 left. The Saints pulled within three a minute later, but the Tritons answered with six consecutive points to take a 69-78 lead with 2:21 remaining. SLU pulled within five at the 1:00 mark, but EC made all six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Hagins (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Radoncic (17 points, 12 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles. It was Hagins sixth of the season and Radoncic's eighth.
- Cirillo posted a career-high 21 points and a career-high nine rebounds as he narrowly missed a double-double.
- Travis Bianco rounded out the double-figure scorers with 17 points.
- Eckerd dominated the boards with a 53-36 favor, which are the most rebounds in a game this season by EC.
- After shooting 37.8 percent in the first half, Eckerd responded to shoot 46.4 percent in the second half while the Saints were held to a 25.0 shooting percentage in the second half.
- In just the second half, Eckerd went 22-for-33 from the charity stripe.
QUOTABLE
"We wore the Eckerd jersey proudly tonight," said head coach
Bryan Galuski. "After our first-half performance, to come back and win says a lot about the character of our team. I'm very excited for our players. It's a great road win."
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to the McArthur Center to conclude the season as they host Rollins at 4:00 PM.
