LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 19 Eckerd women's basketball team pulled away late to down Rockhurst (Mo.), 54-40, Saturday afternoon on day two of the Florida Southern Terrace Hotel Classic at Jenkins Field House. The Tritons improve to 8-0, tying the best start in program history set in the 2007-08 season.
The first half was a defensive slugfest, as the teams entered halftime tied, 22-22. Neither team could muster much offense, with EC shooting 29 percent from the field in the first half and Rockhurst shooting 32 percent. Lauryn Vieira scored 10 points in the opening half to lead Eckerd.
Despite a relatively low-scoring quarter, the Tritons outscored the Hawks 11-4 in the third, holding Rockhurst scoreless for a six-minute span. EC led by as much as six in the quarter before a layup by RU's Rebecca Garcia trimmed EC's lead to four, 33-29.
The Tritons season-long overwhelming defense held Rockhurst to just nine points on 28 percent shooting in the final frame. Sofia Persson scored 11 of EC's 21 points as the Tritons pulled away and emerged victoriously, 54-40.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 19 Eckerd 54, Rockhurst 40
RECORDS: Eckerd 8-0; Rockhurst 5-3
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Persson's 20 points are a career-high.
- Vieira recorded the first double-double of her career with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Her 11 rebounds set a career-high.
- Three Tritons played the full 40 minutes: Persson, Cirkeline Rimdal, and Vieira.
- Vieira also tied her career-high with four steals. She grabbed seven over the weekend.
- Maya Price just missed a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down nine boards.
- Price's six blocks are a career-high mark. Her six blocks are the most by a Triton since Krystal Charles swatted seven shots against Lynn on January 25, 2012.
- EC outscored RU in the paint, 28-16.
- Eckerd shot a season-low 29.5 percent.
QUOTABLE
"As a team, we struggled to hit shots today, but we gave a great effort on the defensive end and rebounded well from all positions," said head coach Paul Honsinger '98. "We made some adjustments offensively at halftime, and the team executed the plan well. This was a hard-fought win before the holiday break."
UP NEXT
Eckerd continues its road trip and returns to conference play with a game at Tampa on Friday, December 31 at 2:00 PM.
