TAMPA, Fla. - With the clock winding down and trailing by two, Isaiah Placide came up clutch, knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Tritons men's basketball team a 94-93 victory over Roberts Wesleyan (NY) on Saturday evening on day two of the Tampa Classic.
Roberts Wesleyan took the opening jump and maintained a slight lead through the first 10 minutes of the game. A 10-0 run gave EC a four-point favor at the 8:23 mark. However, the Red Hawks ended the half on an 8-2 run to take a 35-31 favor at halftime.
Back-to-back triples by Mekhi Perry early in the second stanza gave the Tritons a one-point edge with 15:34 left. Eckerd and RWU swapped leads over the next five minutes. EC then held a slight lead until the 1:08 mark as the Red Hawks used a 5-2 run to take the favor, 91-89. A pair of Timothy Thompson free throws with 30 seconds left equalized the score, but RWU made a jumper with 11 seconds left for the lead. After a timeout, Isaiah Placide made a triple over a defender from the left side of the arc with .7 seconds left to give the Tritons the win.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 94, Roberts Wesleyan 93
RECORDS: Eckerd 7-6; Roberts Wesleyan 5-8
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Isaiah Placide led Eckerd with 22 points, while Timothy Thompson (14), Mekhi Perry (12), Kent Garard (12), and Koa Baker (11) rounded out the double-figure scorers.
- Baker flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
- Thompson posted his second double-double in as many days with 14 points and 10 boards.
- Eckerd shot 52.5 percent from the floor, their second-highest shooting percentage of the season.
- The Tritons' 94 points are their second-highest mark of the year.
UP NEXT
Eckerd faces a break for the holidays and returns to action in the new year with an SSC contest against Nova Southeastern slated for 4:30 PM at Jenkins Field House in Lakeland.
