ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In a tale of two halfs, a block by Timothy Thompson on the game-winning basket sealed the Eckerd men's basketball team's fifth straight win as they topped Bemidji State (Minn.), 75-73, on day two of the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic at the McArthur Center.
Eckerd opened the game aggressively, using a 61.5 shooting clip in the half. EC started with an 11-3 run, including nine points from Carr Thiam. The Tritons followed with a 12-2 run to take a 17-point lead at the 12:54 mark. Eckerd maintained between an 11-16 point lead the rest of the frame for a 48-35 favor at the break.Â
The Tritons stretched their lead to 20 early in the second half before BSU went on a 28-6 run over 12 minutes to take a 70-69 advantage with 3:27 left. A Thiam jumper a minute later put Eckerd up 73-71 before Kent Garard added a free throw for a three-point favor. The Beavers pulled within one and got a stop on defense, but they missed their free throws on the ensuing possession. Bemidji State had one last look with three seconds left, with a wide-open 3-pointer for the game-winner, but Timothy Thompson closed out the shot and blocked it to seal the Eckerd win. Â
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 75, Bemidji State 73
RECORDS: Eckerd 5-1; Bemidji State 4-2
NOTES AND NUMBERSÂ
- Thiam led Eckerd with a career-high 30 points. He added 18 points in the first half while going 5-for-6 from the perimeter in the first half.Â
- Isaiah Placide (17) and Kent Garard (12) rounded out the double-figure scorers.Â
- Garard and Timothy Thompson added seven rebounds each.Â
- Thompson added two blocks while Thiam collected three steals.Â
- EC shot 61.5 percent from the field in the first half and finished the night with a 48.3 percent clip.
- The Tritons shot 47.3 percent from the perimeter, including going 10-for-15 in the first half.Â
- Dante Bouchard posted six assists.Â
UP NEXTÂ
Eckerd opens SSC play at Saint Leo on Wednesday with a 7:30 PM start.Â
