Big second half sends Tritons past Panthers

The teams traded three-pointers in the opening minute and went back and forth until Florida Tech claimed the first multi-possession lead with a 10-2 run, going ahead 17-10 at the 13:36 mark. A three-minute scoreless stretch followed before Koa Baker's layup ended the drought. Another two-minute lull ensued, with the Panthers' run without a basket nearing six minutes before a field goal pushed the margin back to seven. Eckerd responded with eight unanswered points, including four from Baker, to take a 20-19 lead with six minutes remaining in the half. Florida Tech answered with five straight points, but Tim Taiwo scored five in a row of his own to swing the lead back to the Tritons. The Panthers closed the half on a 12-4 surge over the final three-and-a-half minutes to secure a 38-31 advantage into the break. Florida Tech shot 42 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while Eckerd connected on 33 percent.

Just like the first half, Brady Patterson scored the opening points of the period to begin the second. Florida Tech maintained a multi-possession lead early, but the Tritons gradually closed the gap, pulling within one after a successful trip to the line by Wyatt Triestman and a jumper from Taiwo around the 15-minute mark. The Panthers responded with a 9-3 run over the next two minutes to rebuild a seven-point cushion and stayed in front until Jacob Davis buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 58 with 11 minutes remaining.

From there, the teams traded baskets before Miquel Llompart knocked down a go-ahead jumper near the halfway point of the half. The bucket sparked a 13-2 run that gave Eckerd its largest lead of the game at 71-62.

Florida Tech answered with 11 of the next 12 points to reclaim a 73-72 lead with five minutes left. The Panthers held a slim edge for the next minute, but five straight points from Triestman flipped a two-point deficit into a 79-76 advantage. Florida Tech pulled within one on two occasions in the closing minutes, but another three from Triestman with 1:40 remaining pushed the lead to five. Eckerd went 5-6 at the free-throw line in the final minute to seal the eight-point victory.

Triestman led the Tritons with 20 points, all of which came in the second half, and added eight rebounds and seven assists. Baker finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, while Taiwo added 15 off the bench. Davis also contributed 14 points and six rebounds. The Tritons shot 61 percent in the second half and hit 46 percent of their shots from deep.

Eckerd improves to 12-10 with the win. The team will be back in action Wednesday at Florida Southern.