The Tiffin University men's basketball team just missed another victory over a ranked opponent, as their comeback fell short, losing to the #21 Eckerd College Tritons 79-74.

The Dragons led for the majority of the 1st half, but that lead evaporated around the nine minute mark as Eckerd took their first lead at 18-16. Tiffin rebounded and regained control, but with three minutes left in the half, the Tritons made their run, using an 8-0 scamper to take a nine point advantage to the half at 38-29.

Tiffin's offense hit at a 40% clip from the field, and went 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. Juwan Johnson came off the bench to score nine points, while Jonathan Sutherlin added five points.

The Dragons, similar to their game the day prior, made their push in the 2nd half, scoring 45 points. Out of the locker room, Eckerd scored the first bucket of the half to push the Tiffin deficit to 11 points, but the Dragons were able to claw their way back, trailing by only three points after an Alex Brown three point bucket. The Tritons countered with a 10-2 run and the Dragons were back to square one, as they trailed by 11 once again. The resilient bunch from Tiffin got off the canvas and chipped away at the Eckerd lead, tying the contest at 65-65, and taking a one point advantage at 72-71 with just over 90 seconds remaining. Eckerd regained control of the game, and used timely free throw shooting to seal a 79-74 victory.

In the 2nd half, the Dragons shot 45% from the field, and overall finished with a 43% mark. Tony Kynard poured in 18 points for the Dragons with 15 coming in the 2nd half. Juwan Johnson netted 14 points, while Andy Bachman added 11. The Tritons held a healthy advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Dragons 44-30 overall and 15-9 on the offensive glass. Eckerd also outscored the Dragons bench 32-22.

Tiffin falls to 5-6 overall, and will be back in action on January 2, traveling to Northern Michigan University.