ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's basketball team fended off a second-half push by Saint Leo to sweep the series from the Lions with an 89-86 victory at St. Petersburg College on Wednesday night.
After trading baskets to start the game, the Tritons took a two-possession lead at the 12-minute media. EC pushed its lead to eight before the Lions used a 9-2 run to pull within one. Eckerd followed with a 9-1 stretch to take a 10-point lead. EC held onto its double-digit lead at the break with a 46-35 favor.
The Tritons pushed their advantage to 16 to start the second half. SLU responded with an 11-2 run to pull within single digits. EC pushed back in front by double digits but the Lions answered to pull within four at the 9:40 mark. The Tritons again responded to take an 11-point favor with five minutes remaining. However, Saint Leo once again cut its deficit to four, 82-78, with 40 seconds left following a 7-2 run. A Lions triple with 15 seconds left pulled them within two points, but Dante Bouchard and Isaiah Placide made a pair of free throws to seal the win.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 89, Saint Leo 86
RECORDS: Eckerd 9-11 (4-8 SSC); Saint Leo 8-12 (3-9 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to the McArthur Center on Saturday for a 4:30 PM tipoff against Florida Tech.
