LAKELAND, Florida – Lamar Adkins connected on a baseline jumper with 22 seconds left for the final go-ahead basket as sixth-seeded Benedict (S.C.) College ended the third-seeded Eckerd College men's basketball NCAA Championship South Regional run in overtime on Saturday, 68-65.The 12th-ranked Tigers (24-6 overall) opened the first of four quarterfinal matchups in the Jenkins Field House with the upset, riding a 23-point, 17-rebound and six-block effort from Marcus Goode.
Adkins scored 14 in a reserve role while SIAC Player of the Year Xavier Collier and Tydran Beaty scored 15 and 11, respectively for the Tigers.
Benedict will play the winner of No. 2 University of Alabama-Huntsville/No. 7 Christian Brothers (Tenn.) University tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Jenkins Field House in the semifinals.
The Tritons, making their 11th appearance at the NCAA Championship in the program's history, ended their season with a 20-8 overall record.
And so concluded the decorated careers of seniors Darrien Mack, Woody Taylor and Walade Wade, who each provided inspiring moments in what turned out to be their final game in an Eckerd uniform.
Mack scored 25 points and pulled in 14 rebounds, Wade came through 17 (15 in the second half alone), and Taylor handed out six assists to go with seven rebounds.
With Eckerd up by two late in regulation, 59-57, Collier was bailed out on the drive with 3.9 seconds left on the clock and sank the tying free throws to force overtime, the game's eighth tie at the time.
Collier's free throws capped a tumultuous final two minutes of regulation that featured four lead changes.
Benedict broke a 40-40 tie with a 9-2 run late in the second half that turned into the Tigers' largest lead of the game. But a big three by freshman E.J. Moody cut it to a two-point lead, the defense forced a big shot-clock violation and Mack drove into the body of Goode for what turned out to be game-tying free throws.
Wade nailed a three for a 56-55 lead before Goode answered with a tough shot along the baseline for a one-point lead with 51.9 seconds, swinging back the edge to Benedict.
In the early stages, both teams struggled shooting from the field while trying establishing a rhythm in the first half thanks to equal defensive pressure. The Eckerd defense held Benedict to a 4-of-19 start from the floor while the Tritons were at a similar clip of 4-of-16.
As the game wore on though, the Tritons were able to lead by as many as eight in the first half and committed just three turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Tigers came into today's game on a 12-game winning streak ranked 12th in the nation and considered a dangerous draw after giving No. 1 seed University of Huntsville a first-round scare in last year's South Region action.
Wade hit a big three at the top of the key and made an 18-footer on the next Eckerd possession to open up a five-point cushion midway through the second half.
The Tigers had drawn even in the first two minutes and change of the final period on a basket by Goode, but a three-point play by Mack was answered on the other end by Beaty as second-half action started to heat up.
Mack produced a double-double in the early stages of the second half along with Goode as both Daktronics All-South Region selections played key roles for their teams.
By Ben Schlesselman, Sports Information Director
Eckerd Tritons
Eckerd College
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