Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Florida Southern College women's basketball fell to Sunshine State Conference foe Eckerd, 68-63, on Saturday at the McArthur Center in a game that decided the SSC regular-season title.
The Moccasins (19-8, 14-4 SSC) would have locked up their 13th SSC regular-season title with a win, but the No. 18 Tritons (23-4, 16-2) defended their home court to win Eckerd's first-ever SSC championship in women's basketball.
Florida Southern ends the regular season in second-place tie with Rollins, and a coin flip will determine the No. 2 seed in next week's SSC Tournament. The coin flip will take place on Saturday evening once all games are complete.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Eckerd seized early momentum as it held the Moccasins to just 13 first-quarter points, building a 21-13 lead at the end of the first period. The Tritons never trailed in the first quarter, and held Florida Southern to just 4-of-11 from the floor.
• The Mocs were able to turn the tide in the second quarter, outscoring the Tritons 20-11 and holding Eckerd to 4-of-12 from the floor, including 0-of-4 from long range. The Moccasins trailed by as many as 11 points (29-18) with 7:11 to go, but finished the half on a 15-2 run to head into the locker room with a 33-32 lead.
• Florida Southern clung to a one-point lead (45-44) with just under five minutes to go in the third quarter, but Anna Deegan drilled a three on the ensuing possession to put Eckerd up by two (47-45), and the Tritons never lost the lead.
• Florida Southern shot just 37.9 percent (22-of-58) on the day, while Eckerd connected on 44.8 percent (26-of-58) of its shots. The Tritons went 8-of-20 from three-point range to outscore the Mocs 21-9 from beyond the arc.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern dropped to 71-14 all-time against Eckerd, and saw its three-game winning streak against the Tritons come to an end.
• Camille Giardina led the Moccasins with 18 points on 7-of-13 from the floor. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists. Jensen Blassage poured in 15 points, snagged nine rebounds, and was a perfect 7-of-7 at the free-throw line.
• Eckerd finished with a 37-32 edge in rebounds, and both teams scored 20 points in the paint. The Tritons were led on offense by Anna Deegan and Ashley Folsomn, who both scored 21 points. Eckerd shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern will host a first-round game in the SSC Tournament on Wednesday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Jenkins Field House. The Moccasins' opponent will be determined following a coin flip tonight to decide whether the Mocs or Rollins will be the No. 2 seed.
• The SSC Tournament semifinals and finals take place on March 4-5 at the ICI Center on the campus of Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach.
