Tritons Dominant Fourth Quarter Paces 70-57 Victory

SAINT LEO, Fla. - A dominant fourth quarter by the Eckerd women's basketball team paced the Tritons to a 70-57 victory over the Saint Leo Lions at the Marion Bowman Center  on Wednesday night.

After Eckerd scored the opening basket, the Tritons quickly fell behind, with the Lions taking a 6-2 advantage. A pair of timely 3-pointers by Jaylen Ostenson and Chance Bucher knotted the score at eight halfway through the first frame. The teams traded leads before the Lions secured an advantage of 20-18 after the first quarter. The Lions relied on free throws to build upon their lead in the second period before a seven-point stretch by Ostenson and Bucher knotted the score at 30 late in the quarter. Bucher sunk a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the quarter for Eckerd to narrowly take a 32-30 lead into the break. 

Another pair of free throws for Saint Leo tied the game at 32-all before Eckerd finally ran away with the game. A five-point run by Bucher started the ball rolling, as the Tritons worked to an eight-point favor. Eckerd pushed the pace in the fourth quarter, opening with a three, followed by an and-one fastbreak layup by Bucher. The Tritons continued to add to their favor, leading up to a 16-point advantage. A buzzer-beater three by the Lions was not nearly enough to equalize as Eckerd dominated the game, 70-57. 

HOW IT ENDED 

FINAL: Eckerd 70, Saint Leo 57
RECORDS: Eckerd 5-2 (3-1 SSC); Saint Leo 5-2 (1-1 SSC)

NOTES AND NUMBERS 

• Bucher posted yet another double-double, her third of the season. She led with 23 points and 12 boards. 
• Bucher shot 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. 
• Ostenson added 12 points for her fourth double-digit performance of the season. She is on a three-game double-digit point scoring streak. 
• Ostenson tacked on three steals and two assists. 
• EC outshot SLU in the paint 24-14. 

UP NEXT 

Eckerd will face off against Columbus State University at 2:00 PM on December 14 in Lakeland, Fla.