ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Florida Southern College women's basketball team dropped a tough Sunshine State Conference road game to Eckerd College, falling 71-52 on Saturday afternoon.
The Moccasins (5-3, 0-3 SSC) were led by junior guard
Marissa Jenike with 14 points, going 3-6 from beyond the arc. Junior point guard
Arriyana Bracero also finished in double-digits with 10 points off the bench. The Tritons (4-4, 1-2 SSC) had three finish in double-digits, as Chance Bucher (15 pts) led the way, followed by Hannah Wentworth (13 pts), and Jessie Ford (10 pts).
Florida Southern had to work their way back from a 4-0 deficit to open the game, and it started with Jenike's first three of the game to make it 4-3 with 7:20 remaining in the first quarter. Eckerd scored on a layup to get another three-point lead, but junior forward
Anna Denes came within one again, 6-5 scoring on a fast break layup.
The Tritons went on a 9-4 run to end the first quarter as the Mocs got the final say, scoring on a jumper from sophomore guard
Sydney Gomes to make it 15-9 going into the second quarter.
FSC cut Eckerd's lead down to four, opening the quarter on a Bracero layup at 9:18. The Tritons went on a 24-8 run, earning a 19-point lead with just under two minutes remaining in the quarter. Graduate student guard
Domenica Zamora and sophomore guard
Na'Haviya Paxton both hit free throws, sending the Mocs into the half down 39-23.
Eckerd increased their lead to 44-23 before FSC sent junior guard
Arielle Dabu to the line. Dabu sank both free throws to make it a 19-point game again. The Tritons continued to increase their lead, getting as much as a 23-point lead in the quarter and ending the quarter with a 58-37 advantage.
The fourth quarter opened up with back-to-back 3-pointers from the Tritons, giving them a 27-point lead before Bracero hit a 3-pointer of her own with 7:27 remaining. FSC's offense continued to try and cut Eckerd's lead down, but it was too late as the Mocs fell to the Tritons to open up SSC road action.
Florida Southern look to bounce back on Friday, Dec. 15 as they host Illinois-Springfield to open action in the Century Retail Christmas Classic. The tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
