Tritons move back into first with win over Saint Leo

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Eckerd Tritons women's basketball team moved back into first place in the Sunshine State Conference on Wednesday with an 83-51 win over the visiting Saint Leo Lions.

The Tritons erupted for 31 points in the opening quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field and knocking down seven three-pointers. Eckerd opened the game on an 11-0 run over the first two minutes, fueled by three made three-pointers, including two from Kailyn Terrell. Ieva Korzane later pushed the lead to 13 at the midway point of the quarter, making it 22-9, before drilling her fourth three with 44 seconds remaining to send the Tritons into the second quarter with a 31-14 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Tritons struggled offensively, shooting just 3-20 from the field and were outscored 15-7. Korzane opened the scoring in the period to extend the lead to 19, and Savannah Borowicz followed with a three-pointer to make it 36-18, but the team then endured a nearly five-minute scoring drought and saw its lead shrink to as little as eight. A late jumper from Greta Carollo pushed the advantage back into double figures before Saint Leo closed the half with a free throw to send the Tritons into the break with a 38-29 lead.

The Tritons' offense turned back on out of halftime, on their way to a 28-10 advantage through the first 10 minutes of the second half. The team hit 50 percent of its shots in the frame and knocked down four triples. Jaylen Ostenson's three-pointer around the four-minute mark put Eckerd in the lead by more than 20 for the first time all game before Sarah Racaud's basket pushed it out to 28 later in the period. Another late three by Ostenson accounted for the final points of the quarter and gave the Tritons a 66-39 entering the fourth. Eckerd out-scored Saint Leo by five in the final frame to secure the 32-point victory. 

Five different players hit double figures in the win, led by Terrell's 17 points and Korzane's 16. Borowicz added 13 off the bench and Ostenson and Emma Egan each added 11. Egan also collected 10 rebounds, while Ostenson swiped six steals and blocked five shots. 

With the win and Nova Southeastern's loss, the Tritons now sit in first place with a 15-3 record. The team will be back in action next Wednesday at Lynn.