VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Eckerd women's basketball team cruised in its season opener, 88-58, at Valdosta State (Ga.) Friday night, thanks to a dominant opening half as the Tritons shot a blistering 67 percent in the first half.
EC used a 13-6 stretch over the final five minutes of the opening quarter to take an 11-point advantage. The Tritons' offense continued to erupt over the start of the second frame with a 21-1 stretch over the first five minutes before taking a 58-27 lead at intermission.
Eckerd and Valdosta State traded baskets through the second half, with EC maintaining a sizable lead throughout before cruising to a 30-point victory.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 11/16 Eckerd 88, No. 22 Valdosta State 58
RECORDS: Eckerd 1-0, Valdosta State 0-1
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Ragnheidur Einarsdottir led the Tritons with 17 points off the bench, while Hannah Wentworth (16), Sofia Persson (16), and Nicole Scales (14) added double figures.
- Wentworth led EC from deep, going 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
- Persson, Scales, and Lauryn Vieira added six rebounds each.
- Vieira padded her stat line with eight points, eight assists, and five steals.
- Scales also added three steals.
- Paula Cirša and Ieva Korzane both added five points in their collegiate debuts.
- Eckerd shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from deep while limiting the Blazers to a 31.5 percent shooting percentage.
QUOTABLE
"This was a great win to start our season. We executed well, shot the ball great, and had a very balanced offensive attack. Defensively we had a lot of energy, and that sparked our transition game,' stated head coach Paul Honsinger '98. "We look forward to another challenge tomorrow."
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action at the GSC-SSC crossover tomorrow, facing West Florida at 4:00 PM.
