MELBOURNE, Fla. - After securing a large lead, the Eckerd women's basketball team struggled in the fourth quarter, as a 28-5 frame lifted the Panthers over the Tritons 61-57 on Wednesday night on the road.
An opening bucket by the Panthers to start the game was the only time Florida Tech led in the first half. The Tritons quickly ran up their tally in the first quarter, as a pair of triples by Jessie Ford, followed by eight points by Chance Bucher gave Eckerd a 23-8 advantage after quarter one. Eckerd continued its momentum into the second quarter, working up to a 19-point lead at the half.
The Tritons went on an early seven-point run in the third, working to a 24-point favor. A pair of free throws by Ieva Korzane gave Eckerd its largest lead of the contest at 25. In the later goings of the period, the Panthers whittled Eckerd's lead back down to 19 heading into the final quarter. After opening the final frame with a Lauryn Vieira jumper, the Tritons found themselves in trouble, with the Panthers going on an 18-0 run over the ensuing six minutes. A three by Bucher silenced the run and stopped the bleeding, but it was not long before the Panthers shut out the Tritons for the remainder of the game, for a 10-0 run to close the game with the come-from-behind victory, 61-57.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Florida Tech 61, Eckerd 57
RECORDS: Eckerd 15-11 (10-9 SSC); Florida Tech 10-20 (4-15 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Ieva Korzane paced the Tritons with 14 points. Three others added double-digit figures: Ford (13), Vieira (12), and Bucher (11).
- Ford and Vieira each grabbed eight boards apiece while Bucher and Kowalska grabbed seven.
- Vieira tallied six assists.
- Vieira added three steals on the night to set the program record for career steals at 231, surpassing Ashley Lutz, who had 230 from 2007-11. She has set five program records during her three seasons with Eckerd, with four records coming this season. She owns the single-season record for steals and assists, the career record for steals and assists, and the single-game scoring record.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns home Saturday for Senior Day and its final game of the regular season against Palm Beach Atlantic at 4:00 PM at the McArthur Center.
