ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Eckerd's lead against Davenport was just two, 41-39, just over three minutes into the second half before the Tritons embarked on an 18-4 run that gave them their biggest lead of the game at 16, 59-43. After that, the closest the Panthers could get was five, 75-70, before the final seven-point margin. DU will stay in St. Petersburg on Saturday to face Tampa with a 5 p.m. opening tip.

Jordan Sterling (pictured) led all scorers with 21 points (two off his career high) on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Also scoring in double-figures for Davenport were Marcedus Leech Jr. with 14, Jakub Dombek with 11 and Chaz Birchfield with 10. Birchfield paced the Panthers in rebounds with nine while four different players recorded a pair of assists including Birchfield, Luke Bara, Jaylen Hodges, and Brackton Miller. Defensively, Birchfield also finished with two blocks.

The first half was a fairly back-and-forth affair that featured four ties and four lead changes. The visitors were ahead by as many as eight at three different points including 14-6, 16-8 and 27-19. As for the home team, they never led by more than a possession, but ended the period with a 15-5 spurt to take back the advantage for good.