ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's basketball team posted an upset win over No. 18 Florida Southern, 87-80, at the McArthur Center on Wednesday as Isaiah Placide accounted for 33 of the Tritons points during their second-half comeback.
Eckerd jumped out to a lead at the first media timeout and held a five-point favor at the 11:18 mark. The teams stayed within a possession of each other until the Mocs closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a 36-28 lead at the break.
A 10-4 Triton run pulled Eckerd within four points at the 16:12 mark. FSC rallied to push back out by nine at the next media timeout. However, Eckerd hung close and followed with a 14-4 run to even the score at 66-66 with 6:46 left. Eckerd took the lead at the five-minute mark, and the teams then swapped leads over the next three minutes. Five straight points by Isaiah Placide gave the Tritons the lead for good at the 2:27 mark. The Mocs pulled within one at the 1:02 mark, but a Timothy Thompson layup and Placide free throws sealed the win.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 87, No. 18 Florida Southern 80
RECORDS: Eckerd 10-12 (5-9 SSC); Florida Southern 18-5 (9-4 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Placide posted a career-high 35 points, with 33 of his points coming in the second half.
- Placide's 35 points are six points off the single-game record and the most in a game since Daniel Love had 35 in the 2021-22 season.
- Koa Baker rounded out the double-figure scorers with 17.
- Thompson led Eckerd on the boards with eight.
- Dante Bouchard posted four assists.
- Eckerd shot 52.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three.
- The score was tied eight times in the game with 14 lead changes.
- The Tritons have posted upset wins over the Mocs in back-to-back years.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action on Saturday with a trip to No. 1 Nova Southeastern at 4:00 PM.
