ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Barry University women’s basketball team bounced back in a big way to beat a hot Eckerd team on the road, 53-44, Saturday.
The Buccaneers (10-8, 2-5 Sunshine State Conference) snapped a three-game skid, collecting a victory over one of the top tier teams in the league. Eckerd fell to 14-4 overall, 5-3 in the SSC.
Barry’s Jackie Perez scored 17 points, knocking down five of 11 triples, to lift the Bucs. She had 12 points in the second half, hitting four three-pointers.
Barry outrebounded Eckerd, 41-34, in a battle-tested display of grit on the boards that set the tone early against the bigger Tritons. The Bucs had 12 offensive rebounds to Eckerd’s six.
Perez buried a triple with 7:08 left to play to give Barry a four-point lead. Toni Niebler’s triple at the 5:23 mark extended Barry’s lead to seven. Eckerd’s Rana Thomas scored with 4:20 remaining to bring the Tritons back to within five. But after a series of missed opportunities for both teams, Amra Elezovic sank four straight free throws down the stretch to preserve it for the Buccaneers.
Barry shot 19 of 57 from the field. Eckerd was 18 of 52.
Kaylia Richardson had nine points and nine rebounds for the Buccaneers, who went seven of nine from the free throw line. Nyjah Porcher grabbed 10 rebounds, scored seven points and had four assists. Elezovic had nine points and four rebounds.
Trine Kasemagi scored 16 points on seven of 10 shooting and pulled down seven boards for the Tritons, who were held to 3-for-17 from 3-point range. The Tritons were ranked third in the country in field goal shooting.
Barry will host Tampa at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in another test against one of the SSC’s best.
BARRY 53, ECKERD 44
BARRY (10-8, 2-5 SSC)
PEREZ, Jackie 6-16 0-0 17; ELEZOVIC, Amra 2-4 4-5 9; RICHARDSON, Kaylia 4-9
1-2 9; PORCHER, Nyjah 2-7 2-2 7; BRITTEN, Kaila 2-4 0-0 4; NEIBLER, Antonia
1-5 0-0 3; RICHARDSON, Lynae 1-6 0-0 2; LUTZ, Ashley 1-4 0-0 2;
SCHAHCZINSKI, Emily 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-57 7-9 53.
ECKERD (14-4, 5-3 SSC)
KASEMAGI, Trine 7-10 2-4 16; BOWLIN, Kayla 3-6 1-1 8; VINE, Victoria 3-12
0-0 7; THOMAS, Rana 2-11 0-0 4; ALEXANDER, Jordyn 2-4 0-0 4; SUNDBERG,
Margaret 1-4 0-0 3; GRBIC, Ivana 0-5 2-2 2; AMMONS, Sarah 0-0 0-0 0. Totals
18-52 5-7 44.
Barry......................... 23 30 - 53
Eckerd College................ 29 15 - 44
3-point goals--Barry 8-27 (PEREZ, Jackie 5-11; PORCHER, Nyjah 1-2; NEIBLER,
Antonia 1-4; ELEZOVIC, Amra 1-3; LUTZ, Ashley 0-3; RICHARDSON, Lynae 0-3;
RICHARDSON, Kaylia 0-1), Eckerd College 3-17 (VINE, Victoria 1-4; SUNDBERG,
Margaret 1-4; BOWLIN, Kayla 1-4; THOMAS, Rana 0-5). Fouled
out--Barry-BRITTEN, Kaila, Eckerd College-VINE, Victoria. Rebounds--Barry 41
(PORCHER, Nyjah 10), Eckerd College 34 (KASEMAGI, Trine 7; VINE, Victoria
7). Assists--Barry 12 (PORCHER, Nyjah 4), Eckerd College 14 (BOWLIN, Kayla
6). Total fouls--Barry 14, Eckerd College 15. Technical fouls--Barry-None,
Eckerd College-None. A-200