WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A late fourth-quarter surge by the Eckerd women's basketball team, squeaked the Tritons by the Sailfish by a score of 71-10 on the road Saturday afternoon.
Palm Beach Atlantic started the game strong, working to an 11-point favor by the 2:18 mark. Bella Green and Lauryn Vieira each made a basket late to bring Eckerd's deficit back to single digits, trailing 21-13 at the end of the first period. Kowalska went on a seven-point streak, closing the gap to 24-20. PBA closed the half with a pair of free throws and a layup for a 37-30 advantage at the break.
The Tritons went on a seven-point burst to start the second half to knot the game at 37-37. The teams traded runs in the quarter before a 3-pointer by Hannah Wentworth at the 1:37 mark gave Eckerd its first advantage of the game. PBA answered with a pair of buckets to regain its lead, heading into the final frame leading 56-53. Back-to-back triples by Wentworth at the three-minute mark in the fourth quarter regained the lead for Eckerd after they fell behind by seven in the early goings of the frame. A four-point stint by Green gave the Tritons their largest favor of the game at five. PBA clawed back to tie with 17 seconds remaining in the game. With four seconds remaining, Claire Davis fouled Vieira, where she hit one to give the Tritons a 71-70 favor. PBA attempted a shot at the buzzer, but it did not fall, as the Tritons snuck by with a 71-70 victory at the Rubin Arena.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 71, Palm Beach Atlantic 70
RECORDS: Eckerd 10-6 (5-4 SSC); Palm Beach Atlantic 9-8 (3-6 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Wentworth led the Tritons with 17 points. Kowalska, Bucher, and Vieira rounded out the double-digit scoring with 16, 15, and 13 points, respectively.
- Kowalska grabbed a team-leading eight boards, while Vieira added four steals.
- PBA had the lead for 35:30 of the game, while EC only led for 3:12.
- Eckerd shot 41.2 percent from the floor and 32.1 percent from three. Wentworth hit a season-tying five triples.
- Bucher added a career-high five assists.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns home Wednesday for its final game of the first half of its conference slate against Embry-Riddle for a Teal Out at 5:30 PM.
