WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - After finishing the first quarter down by seven, the No. 12 Triton women's basketball team dominated the second period, outscoring Palm Beach Atlantic 28-6, to defeat the Sailfish, 81-57, on the road on New Year's Day in Rubin Arena.
It was a slow start for Eckerd, as they went down by five in the opening minute of the game. A pair of baskets from Nicole Scales and Hannah Wentworth knotted the score at five before Palm Beach Atlantic regained the lead. After trading baskets for nearly five minutes, the Sailfish began to pull away from the Tritons, earning a 10-point lead. A last-minute 3-pointer by Wentworth narrowed the deficit to seven at the end of the opening period, 21-14. After a jumper by Jillian Schenk to open the second quarter, Eckerd came back firing. The Tritons were on a 10-point run, forcing the Sailfish to take a timeout. The Tritons continued to drain buckets as Scales, and Lauryn Vieira brought EC to a 17-point run. Eckerd's defense was stingy, only allowing six points in the second frame. Cirkeline Rimdal and Sofia Persson added to the lead as the half ended with Eckerd up 42-27.
The Tritons shot 7-for-9 beyond the arc in the first half, rolling that momentum to the start of the third quarter when Scales hit a 3-pointer, lengthening the lead to 20. Ragnheidur Einarsdottir hit another three with 38 seconds remaining in the quarter, and PBA converted two quick 3-point shots to end the quarter with EC leading 65-46. In the final frame, Eckerd continued to run away with the game. Einarsdottir, Price, Scales, and Wentworth combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter, securing the 81-57 victory.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 12 Eckerd 81, Palm Beach Atlantic 57
RECORDS: Eckerd 11-2 (6-0 SSC); Palm Beach Atlantic 7-5 (3-3 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Five Tritons tallied double-digit scoring figures: Scales (17), Price (15), Wentworth (14), Einarsdottir (12), and Vieira (10).
- Persson led in rebounds with seven, followed by Price and Einarsdottir with six each.
- EC outshot PBA in the paint 42-28.
- EC led a 37-23 favor in rebounds.
- Eckerd shot 57.1 percent from the floor.
QUOTABLE
"This was a great win to start the new year," stated head coach Paul Honsinger '98. "We were aggressive on the boards today, and that sparked our transition game. Once again, we had great scoring balance and multiple contributors."
UP NEXT
The Tritons return home Wednesday night to continue their conference slate against Embry-Riddle at 5:30 PM inside the McArthur Center.
