ST. PETERBURG, Fla. – Senior Chelsea Johnson (Orlando, Fla.) paced a balanced attack with 18 points to lead Eckerd College to a 57-49 victory over Daemen College here today in opening round action of the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic. Eckerd, which posted a 22-8 record last year and is ranked fourth in the D2SIDA South Region poll, remained unbeaten on the year and improved to 3-0. Daemen saw its two-game winning streak come to an end and dropped to 2-2.
It marked the first-ever meeting between the NCAA Division II programs. The tournament features teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Sunshine State Conference.
Daemen got a solid effort from freshman Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.), who connected on 7-of-14 shots (including 4-of-8 from downtown) and finished with a career-high 19 points. She also totaled five rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes of action. It marked the second-straight strong game from Titus, who totaled 14 points and 15 rebounds in a 74-67 win over Mercyhurst University last week. Junior Ranaveya Richards (Albany, N.Y.) added seven points for the Wildcats, while senior Erin Egan (Williamsville, N.Y.) chipped in six points and 10 rebounds.
Johnson scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half and also contributed four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Sophomore Abby Whiteye (Petrolia, Ont.) connected on 4-of-8 three-pointers and totaled 14 points and seven boards for the hosts.
Daemen connected on four of its first seven three-pointers en route to an early 12-6 lead. The Wildcats managed just three points the rest of the frame and Daemen took a 15-13 lead into the second quarter.
Daemen's scoring troubles continued into the start of the second quarter, as the host Tritons outscored the Wildcats 13-1 over the first five minutes of the frame and opened up a double-digit lead (26-16) after sophomore Mikayla Kuehne (South Plains, Tx.) drilled a three-pointer with 5:11 left in the quarter. Daemen managed just one field goal and three points during the second quarter and Eckerd took a 29-18 lead into halftime.
The teams combined for just five points over the first six minutes of the third quarter and the Eckerd lead was 12 points when two free throws by junior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) snapped a three-minute scoreless streak and made the score 32-22 with 4:13 left in the quarter. Eckerd regained a 15-point lead after Whiteye drilled a three-pointer and Johnson followed with a layup. Daemen caught fire and outscored the Tritons 14-0 over the final 3:10 to make a one-point game (37-36) heading into the fourth quarter. Titus drilled two three-pointers during the rally and a put back Richards just before the quarter ended capped the run.
Daemen regained the lead (41-39) after Titus drilled a three-pointer with 8:53 left to play, but Eckerd answered with a layup by junior Octavia Loll (Akron, Ohio). The game was tied at 43-43 with 5:34 left when a layup by Johnson gave the Tritons the lead for good. The score remained 45-43 for three minutes until the hosts got a three-pointer by Whiteye with 2:48 left. Daemen answered with a reverse layup by freshman Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.), but a clutch triple by senior Yarden Danan (Rehovot, Israel) made it a six-point game (51-45) with 2:15 remaining. Daemen cut it to four points following a layup by Titus with 1:28 remaining, but Johnson would secure the win by going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe over the next minute.
Daemen shot 22-percent (6-for-27) from the field in the first half and finished a season-low 17-of-62 (27%) from the field overall. The Wildcats, who entered the game averaging nearly eight three-pointers per game, connected on just 7-of-29 from behind the arc today. Daemen went 8-for-15 from the charity stripe. Eckerd shot 35-percent (21-of-60) from the field overall and made 7-of-30 from downtown. The Tritons converted 8-of-12 free throws. The Wildcats finished with a 52-40 edge in total rebounds, and the Wildcats also posted an advantage in points off turnovers (13-8), second-chance points (17-7) and bench points (34-8). Eckerd posted a 24-16 edge in points in the paint.
The tournament continues tomorrow (Nov. 24) when the Wildcats take on Florida Southern College at 1 p.m. FSC, which is ranked No. 11 in the latest D2SIDA national poll, suffered a 74-67 loss to Le Moyne College in today's other opening-round game.
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