LAKELAND, Fla. - In the first game of the Mocs Christmas Classic on Friday, Davenport women's basketball saw undefeated Eckerd (7-0) pull away in the second half and particularly in the third quarter for the 85-57 win. Davenport trailed by nine points at halftime (39-30) after a circus shot by Loni Sales which was worthy of a SportsCenter Top 10 nomination.
 

Check out this #SCTop10 nominee from Loni Sales to end the first half against Eckerd. #NCAAD2@espn @ESPNAssignDesk @GLIACsports pic.twitter.com/cRWl19wnJf

— Davenport Women's Basketball (@DU_WBB) December 17, 2021

Sales scored eight of her team high 14 points in the first half as the Panthers shot 12-of-28 including 5-of-10 from behind the arc. Davenport scored the first two points of the game before Eckerd went on a 8-0 run. The Tritons held a 16-8 lead after the first quarter. The second quarter was the most entertaining as Eckerd outscored the Panthers 23-22. Eckerd extended their lead to 28-15 four minutes into the quarter and the Panthers fought back to cut the deficit to 33-27 with 2:35 left after a Claire Borsheim jumper. Borsheim was back in the lineup after missing the previous four games. The Tritons increased their lead back to 39-27 with 29 seconds left on a Nicole Scales three-pointer before Sales made the first half's final basket in thrilling fashion.

Eckerd took control in the third quarter and increased their lead to 25 points with 1:36 left in the quarter. DU shot 5-of-16 in the quarter with three of those makes behind the arc. Maya Price had a big quarter for the Tritons with 10 points, five rebounds and one assist in seven minutes. The second half numbers tell the story as Eckerd shot 54.5 percent overall compared to 25.7 percent for Davenport. One other key stat was free throw shooting as both teams attempted 14 with Eckerd making 12 and Davenport making six.

Nelson finished with a double-double for the second time in her career, both coming this season. She had 11 points and 10 rebounds while also dishing out five assists. Toni Grace went for 11 points scoring eight of those in the second half. She hit double figures for the fifth time this season and 61st time in her career. Lillee Gustafson grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds including seven offensive boards to go with eight points and two assists.