ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After trailing by double-digits, the Eckerd men's basketball team rallied in the second half, pulling within one in the final 20 seconds of the game. Isaiah Placide hit a game-winning triple with two seconds left to complete the comeback as the Tritons topped Tampa 66-64 on Wednesday night at St. Pete College.
UTampa pushed out to an early edge before using an 8-1 run to take a 13-point lead with 4:03 left until halftime. Tampa went up by as many as 15 points before taking a 43-29 advantage at intermission.
Eckerd cut its deficit to 10 at the first media timeout and utilized a 10-0 run to pull within two at the 11:56 mark. Three straight 3-pointers pushed the Spartans out in front by double-digits. EC responded with a 7-2 run to pull within five at the 2:30 mark. Tampa went up by seven following two free throws, but a triple and a layup by Isaiah Placide pulled Eckerd within two at the 1:02 mark. The Tritons got a defensive stop, and Placide made a free throw to pull within one with 26 seconds left. Dante Bouchard forced a Tampa turnover on the in-bounds, leaving Eckerd for the last shot. Placide drove into two defenders at the right perimeter and knocked down an off-balance triple with two seconds left to seal the game.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 66, Tampa 64
RECORDS: Eckerd 8-7 (3-4); Tampa 10-4 (2-4 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Placide led Eckerd with 25 points. He nearly logged a double-double with eight boards while adding a pair of steals.
- Placide scored Eckerd's final nine points, including the game-winner. His second game-winner of the season.
- Koa Baker (11) and Kent Garard (10) rounded out the double-figure scorers.
- Baker posted eight rebounds.
- Eckerd shot 40.4 percent from the field.
UP NEXT
Eckerd travels to Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday for a 4:00 PM tipoff.
