ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Tritons got out to an early jump, taking the lead at halftime. However, it was not enough to hold on as the Eckerd men's basketball team fell to the Rollins College Tars 80-74 at the McArthur Center on Thursday night.
The Tritons opened the scoring with seven straight points ignited by a turnaround jumper from Kent Garard in the paint. Eckerd was firing early and often, as Daniel Love and David Swedura combined for three 3-pointers in the first five minutes. Garard hit another jumper to put the Tritons up 12 (15-3) with 14:47 to go in the half. Rollins went on a fourteen-point scoring run to take a one-point lead with under 10 minutes remaining before a 3-pointer by Carr Thiam put the Tritons back up by two, 18-16. Both teams traded baskets for the next four minutes until Eckerd began to pull away with seven straight points from Daniel Love. The Tars clawed back within four as they trailed the Tritons 41-37 at the half.
Rollins continued its momentum into the second half, as they went up by five in the first three minutes. A layup by JP Haggarty brought the Tritons closer before Rollins pushed back up by eight. Thiam and Dante Bouchard brought the Tritons within two with 9:55 remaining. The rest of the game was a battle, as the Tritons recovered from multiple deficits. With just under four minutes remaining, Bouchard was fouled on a 3-pointer with an and-one free throw with a chance to tie. However, Rollins made a layup and free throws inside the final minute as the Tritons came up short, 80-74.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Rollins 80, Eckerd 74
RECORDS: Eckerd 5-6 (2-3 SSC); Rollins 5-6 (2-2 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Daniel Love led the Tritons with 21 points, followed by Dante Bouchard with 15 and Carr Thiam with 12.
- Daniel Love also collected seven boards, followed by Garard with six.
- Love rounded out his stat line with a season-high eight assists
- Thiam grabbed three steals.
- Eckerd's bench outscored Rollins' 20-13.
UP NEXT
The Tritons hit the road in the new year, taking on the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic on Sunday at the Rubin Arena with a 4:00 PM tipoff.
