JACKSON, Tenn. – The No. 21 Eckerd women's basketball team makes its fifth straight trip to the NCAA South Regional Tournament on Friday when the fifth-seed Tritons take on the fourth-seeded Florida Southern in the last game of the day at 8:30 PM.
Friday: No. 5 Eckerd vs. No. 4 Florida Southern | 8:30 PM | Fred DeLay Gymnasium | Live Stats | Live Video | Program | Tickets
ABOUT THE TRITONS
- Eckerd (20-4) sat steady at the top half of the regional polls throughout the season and solidified an at-large bid to the national tournament as the No. 5 seed.
- This season, the Tritons jumped out to a 9-0 start, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. The 9-0 start is the best in program history.
- Maya Pice, the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, and Sofia Persson lead EC's offense averaging 14.8 and 14.0 points per game, respectively. Lauryn Viera nearly adds double-digits with 9.7 points per game.
- Hannah Wentworth and Nicole Scales provide a surge off the bench with 7.6 and 7.0 points per game, respectively. Wentworth leads the team's perimeter shooting with 109 triples, shooting at a 41.3 percent clip.
- EC's defense has been one of the top in the nation all season. The Tritons limit their opponents to a 32.9 field goal percentage, ranking second in all of Division II. They also rank eighth in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 53.8 points per game. Eckerd also forces 15.7 turnovers per game.
- Anchoring the EC defense is the SSC Defensive Player of the Year, Lauryn Vieira, who averages 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Price leads the team on the boards with 7.1 rebounds per game. She also averages 2.4 blocks a game, ranking 19th in the nation.
ABOUT THE MOCCASINS
- Florida Southern (20-9) sat in the bottom of the South Region poll but surged to the No. 4 slot following an appearance in the SSC Tournament Championship, falling to Tampa, 74-67, in overtime.
- The Mocs have two players averaging double-figures: Whitney Jacob (16.5) and Julia Jeneke (15.0). The duo also averages 1.6 and 1.4 steals per game.
- Jacob also leads the team on the boards, averaging 6.3 per game.
- FSC also features a strong defense, limiting their opponents to a 41.0 field goal percentage and forcing 18.0 turnovers per game.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- This is the fourth meeting of the season between Eckerd and Florida Southern and the third meeting in the last month. FSC edged EC by one point in the first meeting in St. Pete. The Mocs then took an overtime victory in Lakeland in the regular season and won the SSC semifinals last week.
- The defense has proven a strong suit for both teams in their previous matchups as both EC and FSC were held more than 10 points below their season average in each contest.
- It is Eckerd's sixth program appearance on the national stage and the Moccasins' 16th appearance. EC is appearing for the fifth straight year.
- Eckerd has also produced its fifth straight 20-win season.
- The winner of the game will face the winner of No. 1 Union/Valdosta State (Ga.) Saturday at 8:30 PM.
