TAMPA, Fla. –The Eckerd women's basketball team got its revenge over No. 19 Tampa when it mattered the most as they pulled away late to claim the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship, 75-69, Sunday afternoon at the Bob Martinez Center.
It was a tight contest from the opening tip as the two teams remained within one possession of each other for the majority of the game. Each time Eckerd would push in front by a little bit, Tampa would either even the score or pull within one until a late
Zoe Richards' triple and a layup from
Octavia Loll gave Eckerd a steady lead. The Tritons then said strong down the stretch forcing Tampa to take several off-balanced shots while EC made four late free throws to claim the title.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 75, Tampa 69
Records: Eckerd 24-5; Tampa 24-5
KEY MOMENTS
- Eckerd took a four-point lead at 8-4 following back-to-back baskets by Mikayla Kuehne and Zoe Richards at the 6:14 mark. Tampa pulled within two, but a triple from the top left of the key by Octavia Loll pushed EC up by five. The Spartans followed with a 9-2 run to take a two-point lead with 2:45 left. Eckerd responded with five straight points to regain a three-point lead before ending the period tied at 19-19.
- The teams traded leads over the first three minutes of the second period before EC rolled off six straight points to take a 29-25 lead. UT evened the score at 29-29, but a triple from Mar Ibern put Eckerd up by three with 2:41 left. Dori Nagy made a layup a minute later as Eckerd took a 32-31 lead at halftime.
- Two straight baskets by Eneritz Larranaga and Abby Whiteye to start the second half pushed Eckerd up five. The Spartans responded with five consecutive points to even the score, but the Tritons quickly regained the lead with a Kuehne triple. UT evened the score once again at the 5:56 mark and took a one-point lead at 43-42 30 seconds later. The teams swapped leads before four straight points by EC gave them a four-point lead to end the third up 55-51.
- UT opened the fourth period with four consecutive points to even the score at 55-55, but a pair of Whiteye free throws put the Tritons back up by two as they took the lead for good. Tampa cut their deficit to one a free throw, but back-to-back jumpers by Loll gave EC a five-point advantage at 61-56 with 6:03 left. The Spartans pulled within one three-minutes later, but a Richards triple from the right-wing pushed Eckerd up by four. The Triton defense forced two unbalanced Spartan shots and Loll went down the court and made a driving layup for a six-point lead. The Spartans trimmed the deficit to three with 30 seconds left, but EC made four straight free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Kuehne led Eckerd with 18 points followed by Loll with 17. Larranaga and Richards rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Nine of Lolls 17 points came in the fourth quarter alone while 12 of Kuehne's 17 points came in the third period.
- Kuehne posted a double-double as she pulled down 10 rebounds. She also grabbed two steals.
- Loll dished out seven assists while grabbing two steals.
- Whiteye tied her career-high with two blocks.
- Whiteye and Loll played the entire 40 minutes.
- Eckerd shot 53.1 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from beyond the arc.
- There were a combined 23 ties and lead changes in the game.
- Kuehne was named the tournament MVP, while Whiteye and Loll were also named to the All-Tournament team.
- The Championship title was the third in program history and second tournament crown as they won both the regular season and tournament championship in 2016-17.
- It was Eckerd's second straight appearance in the tournament championship.
QUOTABLE
"I couldn't be happier for this team, especially our seniors. It was an unbelievable championship game and our team deserved the win for the effort they gave," said head coach Paul Honsinger. "Our fans were tremendous and they helped the entire 40 minutes. We are excited for the National Tournament and another opportunity to compete next week."
UP NEXT
Eckerd finds where they will head in the National Tournament at 10:00 PM tonight when NCAA selection show airs.
