LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Eckerd Tritons men's basketball team fell on the road to the Florida Southern Moccasins on Wednesday by a score of 106-81.
The two teams played to a high-scoring opening half, beginning with a back-and-forth battle that featured six lead changes in the first five minutes. Four different Tritons accounted for the team's first four field goals, with Jacob Davis scoring six of Eckerd's first 12 points to help build a 12-9 advantage.
Florida Southern regained the lead at 13-12 and again at 16-14, then never trailed the rest of the way as the Mocs slowly stretched the margin to double digits midway through the half. The Tritons answered with a 7-0 run to trim a 26-15 deficit to four, highlighted by a Wyatt Triestman three-pointer and fastbreak layups from Tim Taiwo and Koa Baker.
Eckerd continued to chip away and eventually tied the game at 32-32 on a Baker three with 5:47 remaining. The teams traded baskets on their next possessions to make it 34-34, but the Tritons endured a 20-4 Florida Southern run to close the half. The Mocs carried a 54-38 lead into the break.
Two straight three-pointers by Florida Southern pushed the deficit past 20 early in the second half, and the margin remained there until a Trey Johnson basket eight minutes in cut it back under. The Mocs maintained their efficiency, matching their 61 percent shooting effort from the first half in the second, offsetting Eckerd's 49 percent clip over the final 20 minutes.
Davis led the Tritons with 17 points, while Taiwo and Miquel Llompart added 15 apiece.
Eckerd returns to action Saturday at No. 12 Palm Beach Atlantic.
