ST. PETERSBURG -- The Eckerd Tritons men's basketball team used a big second half to defeat the Saint Leo Lions on Wednesday by a score of 87-67.
Miquel Llompart opened the scoring with a three-pointer to give Eckerd an early lead, sparking a back-and-forth first few minutes that featured three lead changes. Saint Leo responded with a quick 4-0 run to take control, but Llompart's second three tied the game at 12-12. The Lions then pulled ahead and never trailed again in the half, building a lead of up to 13 before taking a 47-39 advantage into the break. Eckerd ended the period on a positive note, with a Llompart basket and a
Wyatt Triestman three-pointer halting an 11-4 run from Saint Leo, who shot 18-27 in the first 20 minutes.
The Tritons dominated the second half, erasing the deficit with a 14-0 run over the opening four minutes. Dante Bouchard hit two three-pointers during the spurt, which resulted in a 52-47 lead for Eckerd. Saint Leo briefly cut the margin to one, but Eckerd responded with back-to-back threes from Llompart to extend the lead to seven. The Lions stayed within striking distance, narrowing the gap to a single possession near the halfway mark of the half, but Eckerd countered with an 8-0 run to reach its first double-digit advantage at 70-59. The Tritons' momentum continued, fueled by three consecutive three-pointers later in the half that helped pushed the lead out to 20-plus. Eckerd finished the second half shooting 64 percent from deep, making nine of 14 three-point attempts.
Llompart and Triestman combined for 52 of the team's points, with Llompart hitting seven threes on his way to a 27-point outing. Triestman ended with 25 points on 9-13 shooting, while Timothy Thompson also added 10 to finish in double figures. Koa Baker also added 11 rebounds and five assists.
With the win, the Tritons improve to 13-12 overall and 7-11 in the SSC. The team will be back in action next Wednesday at Lynn.
