ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Despite a tight contest, the Eckerd men's basketball team dropped its season opener to Benedict (SC), 71-66, at the McArthur Center Saturday night at the inaugural EC Classic.
Both teams struggled offensively to start the game, with Benedict netting the first field goal of the game at the 15:16 mark. Back-to-back baskets by Trey Johnson gave Eckerd a five-point lead inside the 12-minute media timeout. BC rallied to even the score at 16-16 before the Tigers and Tritons swapped baskets the rest of the half, entering intermission tied at 31-31.
A 9-2 run to start the second half put Benedict up by seven, but Eckerd followed with an 11-2 run to take a 46-44 favor. The teams stayed within a basket of each other before a 5-0 run put BC up by seven (62-55) with 6:58 left. Eckerd pulled within three on an Isaiah Placide triple with four minutes left. However, Eckerd was unable to draw any closer, falling 71-66.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Benedict 71, Eckerd 66
RECORDS: Eckerd 0-1; Benedict 1-0
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Placide led the Tritons with 26 points, while Kent Garard rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.
- Placide went 4-for-8 from the perimeter.
- Timothy Thompson led EC on the boards with eight, while Will Willard added seven off the bench.
- Brandon Garcia added six assists, while Dante Bouchard posted five.
- Eckerd held a 41-34 rebound advantage.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action on Sunday, hosting Allen (SC) for day two of the EC Classic at 2:00 PM.
