ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The No. 17 Eckerd women's basketball team jumped ahead early and used a late 11-0 surge as they fended off Nova Southeastern, 81-66, in the opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Tuesday night at the McArthur Center.
After the Sharks took an initial 6-2 lead, Eckerd responded with a 26-5 run over the remainder of the quarter to build a sizable cushion early, taking a 28-11 favor into the second. The Tritons continued their hot start with a 16-5 run to start the second stanza. NSU responded with a 16-3 run to end the half, but EC maintained a double-digit lead at the break, 47-32.
The teams swapped baskets to open the third before the Sharks went on a 10-5 run to close the period cutting their deficit to 65-54. An opening 3-pointer by Patrica Brinson pulled the Sharks within single digits, 65-57, but EC responded, rolling off 11 straight points to push back in front by 19, and Eckerd cruised the rest of the way to an 81-66 victory.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 17 Eckerd 81, Nova Southeastern 66
RECORDS: Eckerd 20-3; Nova Southeastern 16-12
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Sofia Persson posted a career-high 24 points while Maya Price and Nicole Scales rounded out the double-figure scorers with 22 and 18 points, respectively.
- Price flirted with a triple-double pulling down a team-leading nine rebounds and six blocks.
- Price's six blocks mark the third time this season she has swatted six or more shots. She has 54 blocks this season, ranking tied for second in program history for single-season blocks.
- Eckerd shot a season-high 69.0 percent from the floor. Scales went a perfect 7-for-7, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
- Persson tied her career-high with four steals.
- EC earned its first SSC Tournament victory over the Sharks as NSU was previously 3-0 in postseason play over the Tritons.
- The Tritons advance to the semifinals for the fifth straight season.
- The win marks the 20th of the season, marking the fifth straight season with 20 or more victories.
QUOTABLE
"Defensively, we were getting the stops and controlling the glass, which was initiating our offense. We were able to spray the ball around, and Maya [Price] anchored us all night, so we were getting a nice inside-out attack," said head coach Paul Honsinger '98.
UP NEXT
No. 3 seed Eckerd travels to No. 2 seed Florida Southern on Thursday for the semifinals at 7:00 PM.
