TAMPA, Fla. -- The Eckerd Tritons men's basketball team erased a double-digit halftime deficit to knock off the Tampa Spartans on the road by a score of 77-76 on Wednesday.
Koa Baker opened the scoring for the Tritons with the game's first points, and baskets by
Miquel Llompart and
Carlos Cortijo helped Eckerd hold the lead through the opening six minutes. Tampa claimed its first advantage near the 13-minute mark and used an 11-1 spurt to build a 17-8 lead. Back-to-back baskets in the paint from
Timothy Thompson and
Jacob Davis briefly slowed the momentum, but the Spartans answered with consecutive triples to establish their first double-digit cushion at 26-16. The margin remained as high as 12 for the rest of the half before Davis trimmed it to 10 at the line in the closing moments, sending the teams into the break with Tampa ahead 39-29. Eckerd shot 32 percent in the opening 20 minutes, while Tampa connected on better than 45 percent from the field.
After trading baskets to open the second half and keep the margin in double figures, a three-pointer from Llompart capped a quick 7-0 stretch over a two-minute span to pull Eckerd within four at 42-38. Tampa answered with a basket, but Koa Baker and Patterson combined for five straight points to trim the deficit to one. Davis then put the Tritons in front for the first time in the half with a tip-in at the 12:38 mark, sparking a back-and-forth sequence that featured three ties over the next three minutes.
Eckerd's lead grew to as many as five during that stretch and began to separate following the final deadlock at 57-57. Llompart knocked down a jumper with 3:43 remaining to give the Tritons a six-point cushion at 65-59, keeping a distance of at least two possessions until the final minute. The Spartans made one last push, cutting the margin to 73-69 with a three-pointer at the 36-second mark. Wyatt Triestman went a perfect 2-2 at the line on the ensuing possession, but a late Tampa basket and a steal leading to two free throws trimmed the lead to 75-73. Llompart sealed the win by converting both free throws with six seconds remaining, making the three-pointer at the buzzer for Tampa inconsequential.
For players reached double figures for the Tritons, led by Llompart's 19 and Baker's double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Triestman also added 14, while Davis contributed 10. The Tritons shot 51.5 percent from the floor in the second half and held the Spartans to just 31 percent shooting.
With the win, Eckerd improves to 11-10 overall and 5-9 in the SSC. The team will return home to face Florida Tech on Saturday.
