VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Eckerd women's basketball team used 13-6 run to close the game and seal its upset victory against No. 16 Bentley (Mass.), 56-47, on the first day of the Valdosta State Thanksgiving Classic Friday afternoon.
The Tritons scored in the paint early, where four of their five baskets in the first quarter came from. A Cirkeline Rimdal 3-pointer at the 3:40 mark in the first stanza tied the game, 9-9. Sofia Persson scored Eckerd's remaining six points in the quarter, and her triple with 1:06 remaining gave the Tritons a narrow 15-13 lead.
Lauryn Vieira and Maya Price scored all of the Tritons points in the second, as Eckerd outscored Bentley 12-7 in the second, heading into the half with its largest lead of the game, 27-20.
Bentley clawed back in the third, as EC held a 36-33 lead entering the final period. EC pushed out by seven early in the fourth only to see the Falcons pull within two with 6:21 remaining. Eckerd then went on a 13-6 run to seal the victory.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 56, No. 16 Bentley 47
RECORDS: Eckerd 2-0; Bentley 3-1
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Price finished with 18 points, three shy of her career-high of 21.
- Vieira's 15 points set a career-high.
- Persson posted a double-digit scoring effort with 13 points. She led EC with seven rebounds and had a 4-for-5 showing from the charity stripe.
- Price showed up all over the stat sheet with six rebounds, two blocks, three steals, and a 3-for-4 effort from the line.
- Five Tritons logged 30 or more minutes: Vieira (40), Rimdal (38), Price (36), Persson (34), and Ragnheidur Einarsdottir (30).
- Four Tritons grabbed four or more rebounds: Persson (7), Price (6), Einarsdottir (4), and Rimdal (4).
- EC dominated in the paint, outscoring Bentley 36-8.
- EC scored 21 points off turnovers, winning the margin 21-12.
- The Tritons limited Bentley to a 34.5 field goal percentage.
- The victory was Eckerd 500th program win.
QUOTABLE
"This was a good win for our team. I'm proud of our effort and execution down the stretch," said head coach Paul Honsinger '98. "Once again, our defense was key for us today, but our offense also showed signs of improvement, so we are heading in the right direction. We will need the same effort tomorrow."
UP NEXT
Eckerd continues road play with a match-up tomorrow against Columbus State (Ga.) on day two of the Valdosta State Thanksgiving Tournament at 2:00 PM.
