Box Score
WINTER PARK, Fla. - Since losing three straight games in January, the Eckerd Tritons (18-8, 11-5 SSC) have finished the 2009-10 campaign strong, winning 12 of 14 games since that skid, including a 63-58 upset victory on Saturday over 13th-ranked Rollins (22-5, 13-3 SSC), SSC Co-Champions and second seed going into next week's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida SSC Championships.
In the process, the Tritons have gone from an 0-3 start to open SSC play to finishing third in the conference, allowing for a home game in the quarterfinal round of the SSC Championships. Perhaps even more unnoticed in Eckerd's run is that it is now ranked eighth in the latest NCAA South Region poll, a poll that helps the NCAA Division II Tournament Committee select the 64 teams (eight in eight different regions) to be given bids to the "Big Dance." Saturday's win at Rollins can only be a positive for the postseason hopes for Eckerd in the eyes of the South Region Committee.
In the first half, Eckerd stormed out to a 20-0 lead, following a three by
John Harper, stunning the 843 fans in attendance. Rollins would not register a point until 13:32 left in the half. The Tritons rode the wave of their big start into halftime, leading 35-23.
In the second half, the Tars would not go quietly, trimming Eckerd's lead to 44-38 with 11:30 to go. After a pair of
Chris Gray free throws increased the Tritons' lead to 50-39 with 9:02 left, Rollins would out-score Eckerd 9-3 over the next 4:40, making it 53-48. Five points, however, is as close as the Tars would get as the Tritons, as they have throughout their 12-2 streak, shooting 76.8 percent from the charity stripe in that span, made good on numerous free throw opportunities down the stretch.
Harper led Eckerd with 17 points while
Zaronn Cann added 13 points in just 12 minutes of play. Nick Wolf led the Tars with 27 points.
With most of Saturday's SSC action concluded, it appears as though the Tritons will await Nova Southeastern (13-13, 6-9 SSC) in the quarterfinal round of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida SSC Championships on Wednesday. Game time will be determined later. As always, fans can log-on to EckerdTritons.com for updates.