Lauryn Vieira - Senior
Eckerd Tritons Women's Basketball
(3-4, 0-2 SSC)
Florida Southern College
(5-2, 0-2 SSC)
History
This is the 50th game between the Tritons and the Mocs. At their last matchup, Eckerd upset Florida Southern 73-68.
Last Time Out
Tritons Dropped Barnburner to No. 12 Spartans
TAMPA, Fla. - A nine-point Triton favor in the fourth quarter was stifled by the No. 12 Spartans as the Eckerd women's basketball team dropped, 62-58, its third straight game of the season in the Bob Martinez Center on Sunday afternoon.
Eckerd opened up the scoring just over a minute into the game, as Martyna Kowlaska got things going for the Tritons with a jumper. The teams traded baskets before Tampa worked to a four-point favor. Eckerd answered back, taking a six-point lead at the end of the frame, 17-11. The Spartans fought back early in the second quarter, going on a 10-0 scoring run to regain the lead. Lauryn Vieira brought the Tritons back to tie the game before the team's exchanged leads yet another time. The Spartans worked back to a six-point favor before Eckerd ended the half on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 29 apiece.
Eckerd was dominant in the early goings of the second half, taking a five-point lead with just under three minutes to go in the third quarter. The Tritons headed into the final frame up 44-42. A seven-point run to start the fourth period gave Eckerd its largest margin of the game at nine. The Spartans answered back, narrowing their deficit to two at the at the 4:26 mark. Back-to-back baskets by Mya Giusto and Sarah Jones saw Tampa leading 57-54 with 2:56 remaining. A 3-pointer by Sonja Schuch evened the score before Tampa took the lead once more on a pair of free throws. The Tritons had a chance to tie the game in the final 20 seconds but were unable to come back, falling 62-58.
Cover Athlete
Last season, Vieira started in all 32 games of the season, helping lead Eckerd to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. She received back-to-back SSC Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming one of just three players in Sunshine State Conference history to be named the defensive player of the year twice. Vieira was named to the All-Tournament team in the NCAA South Regional Championship and received SSC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times (11/14, 12/5, 2/6). She ranked first in the conference and fifth in the nation for assists (200) and assists per game (6.3). Vieira averaged 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. She set the single-season record for assists with 200 while helping Eckerd to five team single-season records.