ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Sofia Persson had a career-high 27-point day as the No. 11 Triton women's basketball team downed the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish, 84-45, at the McArthur Center on Saturday afternoon.
Eckerd jumped out to an early 6-0 lead at the hands of Nicole Scales and Sofia Persson. A 3-point bucket, and a jumper by Claire Davis made it a 6-5 game. Palm Beach Atlantic took a brief lead, but Persson answered back on a pair of free throws. Scales and Lauryn Vieira's and-one bucket doubled the Tritons' score at 14-7. Persson netted another pair of baskets, scoring 11 total points in the first quarter as Eckerd led at the end of the first frame, 19-14. Persson, Scales, and Vieira quickly put the Tritons up by 12 just over one minute into the second quarter. Hannah Wentworth hit a pair of threes in the quarter as the Tritons closed out the half up 45-26.
Maya Price continued the Tritons' momentum into the second half with an early bucket to open the third quarter. After a six-point run by the Tritons, Eckerd and Palm Beach Atlantic traded baskets the rest of the quarter, ending with a pair of free throws from Ieva Korzane and a last-minute layup by Persson going into the final frame leading 69-39. Price opened the fourth quarter on a seven-point run, with Cirkeline Rimdal capping the stretch. Ragnheidur Einarsdottir gave the Tritons their largest lead at 41 points with 2:34 remaining in the game before the Tritons took the victory, 84-45.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 11 Eckerd 84, Palm Beach Atlantic 45
RECORDS: Eckerd 15-3 (10-1 SSC); Palm Beach Atlantic 8-9 (4-7 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Persson's 27 points set a career-high, breaking her previous record of 24 points set against Nova Southeastern (March 1, 2022) in the Sunshine State Conference tournament last year.
- Vieira's three steals on the night place her third in the conference in steals (46) and tied for second in steals per game (2.6)
- Vieira's added 10 assists tonight. She leads the conference in both total assists (126) and assists per game (7.0). Her 126 assists rank third in the nation.
- Eckerd leads the conference in assists per game and sits third in the nation with 18.56.
- The Tritons had an outstanding defensive night, picking up 38 boards, seven steals, and six blocks.
- Eckerd shot 41.7 percent from beyond the arc as Wentworth went 4-for-9 from the 3-point line.
- EC outscored PBA in the paint 34-12.
UP NEXT
The No. 11 Tritons are on the road next week for a two-game road trip at Lynn on Wednesday for a 5:30 PM tipoff and Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Saturday for a 4:00 PM start.
