PENSACOLA, Fla. - After a back-and-forth contest, a 12-1 run in the fourth quarter fueled the No. 9 Eckerd women's basketball team to a season-opening victory, 69-64, over Valdosta State (Ga.) at the SSC/GSC Crossover on Friday night. 

Valdosta State used a 7-0 run midway through the first period to take a 12-6 favor. A 6-2 Tritons' run cut the deficit to two before ending the period down 16-12. Back-to-back triples early in the second frame ignited an 8-0 run for Eckerd to take a 22-20 lead. A Johanna Beliefield triple at the 1:34 mark gave the Tritons a four-point lead before entering the break up 27-26. 

An 11-4 run to start the second half put EC up by eight with 4:55 left in the third. However, Eckerd's offense cooled off with just one point the rest of the frame as VSU held a 40-39 advantage to end the third. VSU and EC swapped points to start the final frame before two straight triples put the Blazers up by six with five minutes left. However, Eckerd went on a 12-1 run to take a 60-55 lead with two minutes left. The Blazers pulled within one with 37 seconds left, but EC nailed its free throws down the stretch to seal the win. 

HOW IT ENDED 

FINAL: No. 9 Eckerd 69, Valdosta State 64
RECORDS: Eckerd 1-0; Valdosta State 0-1

NOTES AND NUMBERS 

• Three Tritons posted double figures: Bella Green (18), Lauryn Vieira (17), and Martyna Kowalska (13).
• Vieira and Kowalska led EC on the boards with seven rebounds each. 
• Vieira added seven assists and four steals while playing the full 40 minutes. 
• Kowalska posted four blocks and two steals. 
• Eckerd held the Blazers to a 39.3 field goal percentage and forced 26 turnovers. 

UP NEXT 

Eckerd battles West Florida on Saturday for the second day of the GSC/SSC Crossover with a 5:30 PM (CST) tipoff.