SAINT LEO, Fla. -- The Eckerd Tritons men's basketball team erupted for 49 points and shot 62 percent in the second half on Wednesday to run away from the Saint Leo Lions and collect an 85-67 victory on the road.
In a back-and-forth opening half, neither team held a lead of more than a single possession through the first 16 minutes of play.
Wyatt Triestman hit a three for the first points of the game and the Tritons prevented Saint Leo from grabbing a lead until the halfway point of the period. The two teams saw four ties during the opening 10 minutes and traded time in the lead over the next five minutes as well. A steal and a dunk from
Tim Taiwo and a layup from
Caden Walton on the ensuing possession gave the Tritons the first five-point cushion for either team at 3:56. Saint Leo played catch-up through the remainder of the half, picking up a late steal in the final seconds that resulted in a go-ahead layup right before the half.
Jacob Davis' mid-range jumper at the buzzer moved the Tritons right back out in front with a 36-35 score at the break. Eckerd shot an even 40 percent in the opening 20 minutes, with Saint Leo hitting over 45 percent of its looks.
Miquel Llompart's triple three minutes into the second half created some space for the Tritons to put them up seven. The Lions countered with a basket to get it back down to five, but the margin slowly got bigger over the next few minutes as Eckerd saw its lead reach new game-highs of eight, nine, and then 10.
Carlos Cortijo's layup around the halfway mark kept the differential at nine, but the team endured a 5-0 spurt from the Lions that brought the gap down to just four. Taiwo answered with a three-pointer that broke a two-and-a-half minute scoring drought for the Tritons and jump-started an 8-1 outburst that reclaimed a double-digit advantage for the team. Eckerd held Saint Leo without a made field goal for over eight minutes and the 8-1 scoring run turned into a 23-9 margin through the final 7:24 of play. The Tritons 62 percent from the floor and 67 percent from three in the second half alone and held Saint Leo to just 27 percent shooting the ball.
Llompart was one of four players in double figures and two with at least 20 points, finishing with 22 on 50 percent shooting. Triestman contributed a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Taiwo had 17 to go with three blocks and three steals. Walton added 11 points off the bench.
Eckerd improves to 9-6 overall and 3-5 in the SSC. The team will return home to face Florida Southern on Saturday.
