WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- After trailing throughout the second half, the Eckerd men's basketball team rallied to pull within one inside the final minute. However, the Tritons were unable to put away the go-ahead basket as they fell, 65-64, at Palm Beach Atlantic Saturday afternoon.
EC started the game on a 6-0 run, as they held a slight lead for the opening 12 minutes before the Sailfish scored 10 consecutive points to take the lead as PBA took a 34-27 lead at intermission.
The Sailfish maintained their lead throughout the second half, but EC stayed within two possessions the entire way. PBA held a four-point lead with 1:39 left, but a Daimar Dyall-Richards steal and score with 53 seconds left kept Eckerd close, pulling them within two. The Tritons got a defensive stop on the other end of the floor, and Daniel Love made the back end of his free throws to pull EC with one point with 15 seconds left. Eckerd looked to net the game-winning shot after a missed PBA free throw seconds later. However, the Tritons were unable to get a clean look at the net as they fell.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Palm Beach Atlantic 65, Eckerd 64
RECORDS: Eckerd 1-7 (0-4 SSC): Palm Beach Atlantic 4-6 (2-2 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Love led EC with 19 points, while David Swedura and Gianfranco Grafals rounded out the double-digit scorers with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
- Love and Swedura led the Tritons on the boards with six rebounds each.
- Swedura also posted career-highs in assists (5) and steals (4).
- Love swiped three steals.
- The Tritons forced 18 turnovers, attributing to 21 points.
- EC shot 43.6 percent from the field compared to PBA's 47.1 percent.
QUOTABLE
"Tonight was a tough road loss for us," said head coach Bryan Galuski '98. "We need to be more consistent on every offensive and defensive possession, regardless of the time in the game. We will learn from this, and our locker room will continue to grind."
UP NEXT
Eckerd continues its road action next Friday at the Tampa Classic as EC faces Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) at 4:00 PM.
