MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - A close tilt came down to the fourth quarter, as the No. 7 Tritons women's basketball team pulled out a narrow win over the Buccaneers 79-75 at the Health and Sports Center on Saturday afternoon. Sofia Persson had 17 points in the fourth quarter alone to secure the victory.
Barry got the early jump and scored 15 seconds in before the Tritons answered back to tie at two. The score was knotted four times in the first frame, with the Tritons leading 19-15 at the end of 10 minutes of play. Baskets by Nicole Scales, Lauryn Vieira, and Hannah Wentworth early in the second quarter gave the Tritons their largest margin of the game at 11 just under two minutes into the quarter. Scales added nine in the second frame, but it was not enough for Eckerd as they trailed 41-40 heading into the intermission.
Ragnheidur Einarsdottir worked the Tritons up to a seven-point favor two minutes into the third frame. However, the Bucs chipped away once again, regaining the lead 50-49 with 1:42 to go in the quarter. Back-and-forth action followed, and the Bucs closed the quarter leading 55-53. After 35 minutes of close action, the Tritons went on a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, taking an eight-point lead. Persson put up an impressive 17 points in the final quarter, giving the Tritons the edge, 79-75.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 7 Eckerd 79, Barry 75
RECORDS: Eckerd 20-3 (15-1 SSC); Barry13-11 (8-8 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Persson's 28 points were her second-highest of the season and two shy of her career high.
- Four Tritons put up double-digit figures: Persson (28), Wentworth (17), Ragnheidur Einarsdottir (13), and Scales (12).
- Vieira led the defense with nine rebounds and three steals.
- Wentworth shot 3-for-9 from beyond the arc.
- Persson went 11-for-16 from the floor and a nearly perfect 5-for-6 on free throws.
- The Tritons collected 10 offensive boards and 20 defensive rebounds.
- The contest saw the score knotted nine times with 13 lead changes.
QUOTABLE
"This was a hard-fought win on the road for our team. I'm proud of our effort, and poise down the stretch," stated head coach Paul Honsinger '98.
UP NEXT
The No. 7 Tritons return home Wednesday in a big conference matchup against the No. 3 Spartans in the McArthur Center with a 5:30 PM tipoff.
