ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -Despite a seven-point lead at halftime, the Eckerd men's basketball team fell to Florida Southern, 82-72, at the McArthur Center on Saturday evening as the Mocs used a large run in the second half to take the game.
Eckerd jumped to a slim lead with a 10-3 favor at the first media timeout. The Mocs responded to take a one-point edge at the 12:38 mark. EC and FSC swapped leads over the next 10 minutes before the Tritons used a 12-2 run to end the frame and take a 44-37 lead at intermission.
After trading an initial basket each, the Mocs went on a 14-0 run to take a 60-51 advantage at the 10:19 mark. Four free throws by Carr Thiam pulled Eckerd within five, but Florida Southern followed with a 9-1 stretch to take a 13-point lead at the 5:47 mark. Six straight points pulled Eckerd within seven with four minutes left, but the Tritons could not complete the comeback.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Florida Southern 82, Eckerd 72
RECORDS: Eckerd 6-3 (1-2 SSC); Florida Southern 7-3 (3-0 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- George Kimble made his Eckerd debut, coming off the bench for a team-leading 27 points while adding three steals and a block.
- Kimble went 16-for-18 from the charity stripe. His 16 made free throws are one shy of the program record of 17 set by Lance Kearse on February 1, 2012, at Nova Southeastern. His 18 attempts are the most since Drushaun McLarun had 21 on March 11, 2018.
- Timothy Thompson posted a career-high 13 boards, with nine coming in the first half.
- Carr Thiam (14) and Isaiah Placide (12) rounded out the double-figure scorers.
- Eckerd struggled from the floor in the second half with a 14.8 field goal percentage in the frame and a 31.7 percent clip on the night.
- The Tritons scored 18 points off the Mocs' turnovers.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action on Saturday the 16th at the Tampa Classic, battling Flagler at 4:00 PM.
