ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Buccaneers used a strong second half showing on the road of the quarterfinal round in the 2019 Sunshine State Conference to take down Eckerd College 72-68 at the McCarthur Center on Wednesday night. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final:  Barry 72, Eckerd 68
Records: Barry 18-10, Eckerd 19-10
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads 33-46

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"The ball was too stagnant in the first half," Bucs head coach Butch Estes said. "There was too much one-on-one. Once we started moving the ball, shots started to come easier. Then, when we scored, that created energy and we were able to get stops defensively," Estes added. 

"I thought Isaiah Hobbs had his best game of the year and it couldn't have come at a better time," Estes said. Hobbs finished with his first double-double of the season - 12 points and 10 rebounds. "Him and Tylan Birts are warriors and I know they're capable of playing like that every night," Estes said. 

"David Moya is finally getting back and playing like he was earlier this year before his injury." The junior guard from Plantation, Fla. struggled with foul trouble all night, but managed to sink three trey-balls in the second half to extend the Bucs' lead and put away the Tritons.

Coming up next for the Buccaneers are the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Nova Southeastern. "Your award for finishing tied for fourth is playing the first place team on their home court," Estes said. "However, both of our games this year were pretty competitive."

With the Eckerd loss, it is possible that tonight could be the final game of Tritons' head coach Tom Ryan's career. "I've been coaching for a long time and I don't think I've ever met a coach, or competed against a coach that has the combination of excellence on the court, as well as being a first class individual off the court. He will always represent Eckerd in a first class way," Estes said.

SUMMARY:

• The Bucs struggled offensively in the first half scoring 28 points on 1-for-10 shooting from downtown and eight turnovers. However, that didn't stop them from defending and holding the Tritons to under 40 percent shooting and forcing eight turnovers. Eckerd led by five mostly because of the free throw differential. Barry went 5-for-5, while Eckerd went 9-for-12. | Eckerd 33, Barry 28. 
• The second half began with back-to-back triples from Moya to get the Bucs right back in the thick of things. Then, Birts and Hobbs showcased the athletic ability that can change the physicality and pace of a game at a moments notice. The tandem each reached double-figure scoring in the second half, but Birts was the pulse of the Barry comeback with 13 points and seven rebounds all in the second half. At the 7:04 mark, Birts connected on a free throw line jumper to extend the Bucs lead to four. Then, on the next Eckerd possession, he took one in the chest and drew the offensive foul giving Barry the ball back. The Florida City native scored eight straight Buccaneer points during a 4:30 span. A few Barry turnovers and Eckerd made baskets made things tight down the stretch before Daniel Mortensen made a pair of free throws to extend the Bucs' lead to four with :6 remaining. | Barry 72, Eckerd 68.

NOTEWORTHY:

• The Buccaneers outscored Eckerd 44-35 in the second half while holding the Tritons to 25 percent shooting.
• In his last eight games, Moya is 17-for-32 (53 percent) from beyond-the-arc. The Buccaneers are 6-2 in that span.
• The Buccaneer bench outscored Eckerd's bench 18-4. 
• Birts and Hobbs were above the rim and all over the glass for Barry. Hobbs had three blocked shots and Birts had two rejections. Mortensen also had two blocked shots. 

ON THE HORIZON:

Barry will face No. 1 seed Nova Southeastern in the semifinal round of the 2019 SSC Tournament. The Sharks are 24-2 and ranked third in the country. The semifinals will be Saturday, March 9, at Rick Case Arena in Fort Lauderdale. For more information regarding the 2019 SSC Men's Basketball Tournament, stayed tuned to GoBarryBucs.com.