ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd women's basketball team avenged its first conference loss of the year with a dominant victory over Saint Leo, 74-45, at the McArthur Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Tritons leapt out to a 7-0 lead in the opening three minutes of the contest. Saint Leo retaliated with a 12-0 run to flip the score in their favor. An and-one bucket by Lauryn Vieira brought Eckerd to double-digits with just over three minutes remaining before ending the frame down 12-10. The Lions opened the quarter with a triple to extend their lead to five. Both teams traded baskets and swapped leads before an eight-point run by the Tritons gave EC a 30-22 advantage with 3:08 remaining in the half as Eckerd took a 37-24 favor at intermission.
The Tritons surged in the early part of the third quarter, building up to a 26-point lead at the 5:21 mark of the frame following a 16-3 run. Chance Bucher shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first five minutes, leading Eckerd's rush. A last-second and-one bucket by Vieira gave Eckerd a 27-point cushion heading into the final frame. Eckerd worked to its largest lead of the game at 33 with 4:31 remaining in the contest. The Tritons closed the game with a 74-45 victory.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 74, Saint Leo 45
RECORDS: Eckerd 11-7 (6-5 SSC); Saint Leo 9-10 (3-8 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Vieira (22), Bucher (20), and Bella Green (18) all scored double-digit figures. Green added 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Bucher's 20 points were a career-high.
- Vieira padded her stat line with eight rebounds, six assists, and six steals.
- Bucher shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Wentworth added three triples, nearly securing double-digit scoring figures.
- Eckerd netted 10 3-pointers in the contest.
- EC's bench outscored SLU's 18-10, solely by Green with all 18 bench points.
- Wentworth grabbed three steals.
UP NEXT
Eckerd takes a short road trip to Lakeland to face Florida Southern on Wednesday at 5:30 PM.
