TAMPA, Fla. - The Spartans' strong start to the second half erased a five-point Eckerd lead. However, the Eckerd women's basketball team dialed it up from long distance with four straight triples over a three-minute stretch to give the Tritons a double-digit lead in the final frame, fueling EC to its first SSC Tournament title since 2020. Eckerd topped the nationally-ranked Spartans 65-57 at the Bob Martinez Center on Sunday.
Eckerd and Tampa traded baskets for most of the opening quarter before UT took an 18-14 lead after the end of the period. Seven consecutive points to start the second frame gave EC a 21-18 advantage. The Spartans made back-to-back triples, but Eckerd responded with eight straight points to take a five-point cushion. An Ieva Korzane layup put EC up by seven with a minute left before the Tritons took a 38-33 edge at intermission.
EC went quiet offensively to start the second half, staying off the board for four minutes while UT pulled within three. Following a five-point run, UT evened the score at 44-44 with 2:41 in the third. However, Jessie Ford answered with the first of three straight Triton triples to give EC back the lead, 53-44, to end the third. Ford opened the fourth with another triple before Eckerd pushed out by 13 with five minutes left. The Spartans went on a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to six with 2:54 left. Hannah Wentworth answered with a triple as Eckerd cruised down the stretch for the win.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 65, No. 12 Tampa 57
RECORDS: Eckerd 19-11; Tampa 28-6
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Lauryn Vieira, Martyna Kowalska, and Jessie Ford each posted 15 points.
- Vieira recorded a triple-double of 15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists. Her triple-double is the first since Sofia Persson added one at Florida Tech last year on January 18.
- Ford added 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the SSC Tournament. She has pulled down 10 boards in four straight games.
- Vieira was tabbed the SSC Tournament MVP while Kowalska and Ford were named to the all-tournament team.
- Eckerd shot 46.2 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from deep.
- Eckerd made 12 triples, their second-best mark of the season.
- The championship is Eckerd's first since 2019-20, where Eckerd also beat Tampa on the road for the Tournament title.
- Eckerd claimed its fourth overall championship and third tournament title.
- The championship is Eckerd's first as a department since 2019-20 and the 26th in Eckerd Athletics history.
UP NEXT
Eckerd earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and waits for its regional seeding with the NCAA Selection Show tonight at 10:30 PM.
