ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After trailing by 13 with 5:51 remaining in the fourth quarter, the No. 7 Eckerd women's basketball team battled back to send the game to overtime. Despite an early jump in the extra time, the Tritons were shut out for the final minute and a half of overtime, falling to the No. 3 Spartans 84-79 at the McArthur Center on Wednesday night.
The Spartans were first to get on the board before Lauryn Vieria and Sofia Persson quickly put Eckerd up by five. Back-and-forth action ensued in the remainder of the first frame as Tampa closed the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 21-16 Spartan lead. The Spartans did not let up, quickly adding to their favor. A pair of free throws by Ragnheidur Einarsdottir halted the Spartan run at the 7:10 mark. Persson, Nicole Scales, and Viera created a seven-point run, lessening the Triton deficit to five before the Spartans had a strong finish to the half, leading 42-33.
Eckerd came alive in the second half with an eight-point run to open the quarter. Hannah Wentworth hit a 3-pointer at the 7:18 mark to knot the score at 44-44. However, Tampa surged in front again as the Tritons fell to a 56-48 deficit heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation. The Spartans worked to a 13-point favor, to which Eckerd answered. The Tritons hit five three's in the final six minutes to trail only by one with 31 seconds to play. A free throw by Audrey Ramsey gave the visitors a two-point margin with 23 seconds remaining. A foul by Ramsey with 13 seconds left sent Persson to the free throw line, where she netted both to send the game into overtime tied at 70-70.
An early pair of buckets by Persson in the overtime period saw the Tritons with a five-point favor. The Spartans fought back to tie twice but went ahead by making five of six free throws down the stretch. The Tritons tried to regain possession by fouling, but it was not enough.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 3 Tampa 84, No. 7 Eckerd 79 (Overtime)
RECORDS: Eckerd 20-4 (15-2 SSC); Tampa 24-1 (16-1 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Four Tritons tallied double-digit figures: Persson (27), Einarsdottir (15), Vieira (14), and Scales (14).
- Persson picked up a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Her 13 rebounds set a career-high.
- Persson grabbed three steals, while Scales and Wentworth grabbed two each.
- Leads swapped 12 times in the duration of the game, and the scores were tied six times.
- The Spartans landed at the charity stripe ten times in overtime, accounting for nine of their 14 points in the frame.
- Eckerd held Tampa's bench scoreless.
UP NEXT
The No. 7 Tritons are on the road this Saturday as they travel east to Winter Park, Florida, for another conference matchup at Rollins College with a 2:00 PM tipoff.
